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baceous and succulent, while the forests of these 

 countries afford only plants with woody stalks. 

 When a missionary would cultivate sallad, or 

 any culinary plant of Europe, he is compelled 

 as it were, to suspend his garden in the air. 

 He fills an old boat with good mould, and, hav- 

 ing sowed the seeds, suspends it four feet above 

 the ground with cords of the chiquichiqui palm 

 tree ; but most frequently places it on a slight 

 scaffolding. This protects the young plants 

 from weeds, worms, and the ants, which pursue 

 their migration in a right line, and, not knowing 

 what vegetates above, seldom turn from their 

 course to climb up stakes, that are stripped of 

 their bark. I mention this circumstance, to 

 prove how difficult, within the tropics, on the 

 banks of great rivers, are the first attempts of 

 man to appropriate to himself a little spot of 

 earth in that vast domain of nature, invad- 

 ed by animals, and covered by spontaneous 

 plants. 



May the 13th. I had obtained during the 

 sight some observations of the stars, unfortu- 

 nately the last at the Cassiquiare. The latitude 

 of Mandavaca is 2° 4' 7" ; it's longitude, ac- 

 cording to the time-keeper, 69° 27'. I found 

 the magnetic dip 25*25° cent, div., so that it 

 had increased considerably from the fort of 

 San Carlos. Yet the surrounding rocks are 

 of the same granite, mixed with a little horn- 



