247 
ABSTRACT OF DR. ROBERT H. SCHOMBURGK’S REPORT OF AN 
EXPEDITION INTO THE. INTERIOR OF BRITISH GUIANA. 
By Henry Buist. 
In the latter part of the year 1834, an expedition to explore the interior of 
British Guiana was decided upon by the Council of the Royal Geographical Society 
of London, which, upon being communicated to the Government, met with the 
fullest sanction and patronage of his late Majesty’s Ministers, and Dr. Schomburgk 
was selected to conduct the exploring party. 
The objects of the expedition were thoroughly to investigate the physical and 
astronomical Geography of the interior of British Guiana. All geographical 
information obtained during the expedition to be considered the property of the 
Society, and at its disposal, to be published in any way it may think fit; but 
collections of Natural History to be the property of Dr. Schomburgk, with the 
exception of one set of any collection of dried plants, birds, fishes, or insects, 
which shall be presented to the British Museum in his name, and one set of any 
geological specimens, to be presented to the Geological Society of London. Dr. 
Schomburgk has now for some time been engaged in exploring British Guiana, 
and has already sent several reports of his proceedings to the Royal Geographical 
Society, many of which are published in the Journal of that Society, and which 
are of great interest, particularly to the naturalist, as they not only give a lively 
picture of the richness and exuberance of the vegetation of the country through 
which he has passed, but also contain many interesting observations on the habits 
of the animals met with. Of these reports, therefore, I propose in the following 
pages to present to the readers of The Naturalist such an abstract as I hope may 
be of interest not only to the naturalist, but also to the general reader. 
In pursuance of his instructions Dr. Schomburgk left George Town, Demarara, 
Sept. 21, 1835, and, coasting around the peninsula of low alluvial land of about 
twenty miles in breadth, lying between the two rivers (Demarara and Essequibo), 
reached the entrance of the Essequibo, which discharges itself into the Atlantic 
Ocean by an outlet fourteen miles wide from shore to shore, but separated into 
four channels by three low islands, the chief of which is seven miles in length. 
He ascended the river as far as the post at' the confluence of the Gayuny with 
the Essequibo, where he remained for several days, engaging Indian rowers and 
other attendants to accompany him. 
On the 1st of October, all preparations being completed, he and his party (con¬ 
sisting of three Europeans, a military officer, a resident of Demarara, four negro 
attendants, and the crews of the three corials, viz., five negroes, five Caribbees, 
