30 



of the eastern part of South America, from Por- 

 tocabello to Cayenne, or from the equator to the 

 10th degree of North latitude, between the me- 

 ridians of 54 and 71 degrees, the cinchona ab- 

 solutely does not exist. Can we boast of know- 

 ing completely the Flora of so vast an extent of 

 country ? But when we recollect, that even at 

 Mexico no species* of the genera cinchona and 

 exostema has been discovered, either in the 

 central table-land, or in the plains, we are led 

 to believe, that the mountainous islands of the 

 West Indies and the Cordillera of the Andes 

 have peculiar Floras; and that they possess 

 groups of vegetables, which have neither passed 

 from the islands to the continent, nor from 

 South America to the coasts of New Spain. 



It may be observed farther, that, when we 

 reflect on the numerous analogies, which exist 



* The cinchona angustifolia, and the c. longiflora, have 

 never been found in New Spain, or Cayenne, notwithstand- 

 ing what has recently been asserted. (Lambert, Descrip. of 

 the Genus Cinchona, 1797, p. 38, Bulletin de Pharmacie, 

 1812, p. 492.) Mr. Richard, who resided long in French 

 Guiana, after Oublet, affirms, that no new kind of cinchona 

 has been there discovered. The specimen of the c. longi- 

 flora, that Mr. Lambert cites in his interesting Monography, 

 as taken from Oublet's herbal, came probably from St. Do- 

 mingo j at least Wahl recognised among the West Indian 

 plants of Mr. Jessieu's collection the c. longiflora. Is the 

 bark of Grand Para (c. brasiliensis, Hofmansegg) a true 

 cinchona } or does it belong to the genus machaonia ? 



/ 



