386 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
friend, Mr. John Teasdale) which supplements the 
more technical description in the Journal, and I 
have distinguished such portions of the latter as are 
almost wholly botanical by printing them in smaller 
type. At the conclusion of the Journal itself I give 
a rather lengthy letter to Sir W. Hooker containing 
a connected and very readable account of the whole 
of this expedition, which is useful as explaining 
why the traveller was unable to carry out his whole 
programme. The specially botanical portion of this 
letter is also printed in smaller type. With the 
exception of these botanical passages, the whole 
of this chapter will, I think, be found generally 
interesting.] 
Journal 
On Nov. 27, 1853 (Sunday), I embarked for the 
Casiquiari. After infinite delays from drunken, 
unwilling Indians and other hindrances, I saw 
myself fairly under weigh about 10 a.m. At 4 p.m. 
I reached the raudal (rapid) at the mouth of the 
Guainia. The fury of this was much abated since 
the high-water of the river, yet it is still difficult to 
surmount for anything larger than a curiara. We 
crossed to the west bank, my pilot being of the 
opinion that it was more easily passed on that side. 
After two hours' toil my cable, which was a new 
one of piassaba, four inches diameter, broke just at 
the time when the boat was in the middle of the 
fall. She whirled round three or four times, and 
barely escaped being dashed in pieces against a 
projecting point of rock. As it was, a hole was 
opened in the keel through which we could dis- 
tinctly hear the water hissing, though there was 
