487 



the crevice, that it would be extremely difficult 

 to reach the summit of the Silla, by ascending 

 straight toward the eastern dome, instead of 

 going by the Puerta. 



From the foot of the cascade of Chacaito to 

 one thousand toises of elevation, we found only 

 savannahs. Two small liliaceous plants, with 

 yellow flowers*, alone lift up their heads among 

 the grasses, that cover the rocks. A few bram- 

 bles gfr remind us of the form of our European 

 plants. We in vain expected to find on the 

 mountains of Caraccas, and subsequently on 

 the back of the Andes, an eglantine near the 

 brambles. We did not find one indigenous 

 rose-tree in all South America, notwithstanding 

 the analogy existing between the climates of 

 the high mountains of the torrid zone, and the 

 climate of our temperate zone. It appears, 

 that this charming shrub is wanting in all the 

 southern hemisphere, within and beyond the 

 tropics. It was only on the Mexican moun- 

 tains, that we were happy enough to discover, 

 in the nineteenth degree of latitude, American 

 eglantines ^. 



Cypura martinicensis, and sisyrinchium iridifolium. 

 This last is found also near the Venta of La Guayra, at 600 

 toises of elevation. 



+ Rubus jarnaicensis. 



X Mr. Redoute, in his superb monography of rose-trees, 

 has published our Mexican eglantine, under the name of 

 rosier de Montezuma, Montezuma rose. 



