INTRODUCTION. 



Andongo, Welwitsch visited the salt lakes of Quitage and the 

 magnificent forests on the right bank of the Cuanza ; and, during 

 a short stay at Pungo Andongo, explored the forests beyond the 

 river Luxillo (28th April), and in the direction of Cambambe. 

 After this he returned through Ambaca to his old station at 

 Golungo Alto (11th June 1857), intending to explore the banks 

 of the river Lucala and region of Duque de Braganga to the 

 eastwards. But on the first night of the expedition he was 

 deserted by half his men, and the remainder refused to advance. 

 To his great regret he was therefore obliged to abandon the 

 enterprise and to return to Sange, where he devoted several 

 weeks to the arrangement of his collections. Thence he travelled 

 back to Loanda, starting on the 27th August, and reaching it 

 on the 7th September 1857, suffered five weeks of fever, after 

 having completed three years of difficult explorations. Up to this 

 time the territory explored by Welwitsch comprised a triangle, 

 of which the base, of about 120 geographical miles, occupied 

 the coast, whilst the apex was the point already mentioned at 

 Quisonde, on the right bank of the Cuanza. 



In a letter to his friend W. W. Saunders, dated 10th February 

 1858, he said that he could have worked more effectually 

 during his long stay in equinoctial Africa if he had not had 

 to fight again and again with fever, scurvy, and dysentery ; and 

 that he had to penetrate the densest woods, to examine the deepest 

 ravines, and to wander for miles slowly under a burning sun 

 through marshy land, whilst ordinary travellers are carried along, 

 lying comfortably in hammocks, only on roads. 



During his period of illness and forced inaction at Loanda, 

 he corresponded with botanists, and in June 1858 drew up 

 a valuable record of his travels, in the form of a Mappa Phyto- 

 geographica, or tabular view of his botanical collections. This 

 was published in Lisbon, towards the close of the year 1859, 

 under the title of " Apontamentos Phyto-geographicos sobre a 

 Flora da Provincia de Angola," in the unofficial part of the 

 " Annaes do Conselho Ultramarine" From this paper we learn 

 that he had, during his three years of travel, collected and 

 arranged 3227 species of plants (to which 510 were afterwards 

 added) in Angola proper. Under each family is given the whole 

 number of species collected, followed by the number in each of 

 the three regions — littoral, montane, and high tableland — into 

 which for scientific purposes he had divided the country. This 

 is accompanied by lists of cultivated plants in each family, and 

 notes on the distribution and most characteristic species found. 

 Many new species are first mentioned or described in the 

 appendix which concludes this concise but comprehensive treatise. 

 Successful as had been the scientific results of these travels, they 

 had been attained only at the price of shattered health, and 

 rest was absolutely necessary. A trip in September 1858 to the 

 district of Libongo, north of Loanda, was the principal journey 

 made till June 1859, when his health having been somewhat 



