55 
[ Eep. No. 564. j 
mit a considerable quantity of perennial plants and stingless bees to New 
Orleans. In my letter of the 1st of January, 1830, to the Secretary of the' 
Treasury, I observed that, “ in promoting the objects of the Department, 
difficulties inconceivable, even among the scattered inhabitants of our 
Western frontiers, must necessarily render the progress of an inquirer very 
slow.” In relation to physical obstacles, I remarked that, “for the pro¬ 
tection of this country from foreign invasion, the principal reliance is 
placed on its briery and thorny underwood, swarming with ticks and mus- 
quitoes,” “ But,” I added, “ the character of this people is more impen¬ 
etrable than the covering of their soil. The Spanish jealousy of any for¬ 
eign observer is augmented by Creole ignorance, and where despotic in¬ 
tolerance does not fetter him, affected friendship misleads him by false in¬ 
telligence.” How much time, labor, and expense I absolutely wasted 
before I became thoroughly convinced that it was indispensably necessa¬ 
ry for me to depend only on my own eyes and my own hands in the ac¬ 
quisition of intelligence or the collection of vegetables ! How often did I 
falsely attribute to the want of roads and carriages the non-arrival at this 
port of plants that were never pulled, and of seeds that were never col¬ 
lected in the interior ! And how reluctantly have I at last become con¬ 
vinced that the most intelligent and apparently liberal personages of the 
country—men who acknowledged themselves indebted to me for their 
lives, and who would be ashamed to make any direct open opposition 
to my pursuits—have nevertheless deceived me by false promises every 
year since my arrival in 1827! Would you believe it possible, that 
notwithstanding my extensive popularity and intimate relations, I have 
never been able to obtain, through the hands of any individual, one sin¬ 
gle seed of the logwood tree !! The few that you saw in New York, I 
myself personally collected, after offering a doubloon, (j^l6,) in vain for a 
single ounce, to the poorest Indians. The late Mr. Thibaud, of New York, 
was walking with me in the outskirts of the capital of Tabasco, during 
May, 1831, when we arrived at the hut of an Indian family, whose mem¬ 
bers appeared grateful to me both for professional and personal charity. 
A logwood tree grew before the door, alongside of the gully, called a creek 
during the rainy season. Wishing to exhibit to Mr. Thibaud the strange¬ 
ly jealous character of these people, I asked the father of the family if he 
wished to make me a slight return for the many favors conferred on him 
and his family. He eagerly replied that he would show his gratitude in 
any way that pleased God. I then said, “ Strip off a small bag of these 
pods containing the logwood seed, and accompany us with it to my house.” 
He was so disconcerted at the request, that at first he knew not what to 
say ; but, finally, approaching me, he whispered, “ I will bring the bag of 
seeds to you after dark, at midnight.” “ Speak out,” said I ; “ why not 
pluck and carry them immediately ?” “Well, sir, I must confess I am 
afraid to be seen carrying any seeds or plants to you. Our big men have 
told us that you are robbing the country of all its valuable plants, and that 
if we don’t cake care, there will not remain a single stick of logwood in 
our swamps for us to cut and maintain our families.” I turned round to 
Thibaud, and observed, “You perceive that they imagine the acquisition 
of a single seed or plant will give to me the power of Aladdin’s ring or 
lamp, to carry off all their logwood swamps, mahogany forests, and cocao 
plantations, in the twinkling of an eye. That Indian will not bring me 
Che seeds ; and should his superiors ever offer me a single teaspoonful, I 
