Natural-History Collectors. 3641 



Proceedings of Natural -History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 



Mr. A. R. Wallace. * — As some account of the unfortunate acci- 

 dent that took place on my voyage home from South America may not 

 be unacceptable to your readers, I beg to send you the following brief 

 statement of the facts. 



On the 2nd of July of the present year, I arrived in Para from the 

 river Uaupes, an unexplored branch of the upper Rio Negro. I had 

 with me a considerable collection of birds, insects, reptiles and fishes, 

 and a large quantity of miscellaneous articles, consisting of about 

 twenty cases and packages. Nearly half of these had been left by me 

 at Barra a year before to be sent home ; but a new government, arriv- 

 ing there shortly after I left, took it into their heads that I was engaged 

 in a contraband trade, and so I found them still there on my way 

 down, in the present year, and had to bring them all with me. 



On the 12th of July I embarked in the "Helen," 235 tons, for Lon- 

 don, still suffering from fever and ague, which had nearly killed me 

 ten months before on the upper Rio Negro, and from which I had 

 never since been free. 



The cargo of the vessel consisted of India-rubber, cocoa, arnatto, 

 balsam of copaiba, and Piassaba. Almost all my cases were stowed 

 in the hold. On the 6th of August, when in lat. 30 Q 30' N., long. 52° 

 W., at 9, a.m., smoke was discovered issuing from the hatchways, on 

 opening which, and attempting to ascertain the seat of the fire, the 

 smoke became more dense and suffocating, and soon filled the cabin, 

 so as to render it very difficult to get any necessaries out of it. By 

 great exertions the boats were got out, and bread, water, and other 

 necessaries put into them. By noon the flames had burst into the 

 cabin and on deck, and we were driven to take refuge in the boats, 

 which, being much shrunk by exposure to the sun, required all our 

 exertions to keep them from filling with water. The flames spread 

 most rapidly ; and by night the masts had fallen, and the deck and 

 cargo was one fierce mass of flame. We staid near the vessel all 

 night : the next morning we left the ship still burning down at the 

 water's edge, and steered for Bermuda, the nearest point of land, but 

 still 700 miles distant from us. For two days we had a fair easterly 

 wind, but this afterwards changed to N. and N.W., and we could make 

 but little way. We "suffered much from the heat by day ; and being 



* Commuuicated by himself. 



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