December 13, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
233 
The air was rarified ; the people lived to an old age, 
and it was a most lovely place, three degrees north of 
the equator, and situate in a little hollow up the 
Andes. The physical features of the country from the 
Savannah mouth of the Magdalena River to some 
hundreds of miles inland and the country adjoining 
the leading tributary streams which drain Columbia, 
the principal Orchid part of the northern portion of 
South America, were charmingly described. Some 
five and a half years ago he started up the Magdalena 
River, and 300 miles inland. It was dark at 6 p.m. 
and light at 6 a.m., and there was perpetual summer. 
After getting up the Magdalena thus far he found men 
who had never heard of the English before, and he 
hardly knew a word of their broken Spanish. In three 
days he had managed to gather together a boat’s crew 
of Indians, and was taken in the large rough canoes 
100 miles up one of the tributaries, where the beautiful 
Cattleya Mendelii was to be found. The exact area 
over which these lovely Orchids grew was not defined. 
If they extended to the equator there would be an 
innumerable stock, but if they stopped somewhere near 
their eggs, and types of these people were thrown upon 
the screen. The 100 miles’ journey up the tributary 
stream, with the canoe manned by Indians, abounded 
with incidents and novel experiences. The forests 
extended to the edge of the water, and richly-hued 
creepers hung down to the water’s edge in luxurious 
festoons ; the heat was intense; not a breath of wind 
disturbed the smooth flow of the water, for the dense 
forests, flanked by the trees some 100 ft. in height, 
kept off the breezes ; birds of glorious plumage flitted 
hither and thither, and there was presented, as they 
sailed along, a succession of pauoramic views that 
entranced the lover of the beautiful in nature. At 
times they camped in the evenings on the shore, and 
combined sport with collecting. He shot an alligator 
some 18 ft. long, and there had always to be main¬ 
tained the greatest watchfulness to keep off lurking 
monsters. Hires were kept ’lighted in the camps at 
night, to keep off the jaguars and the snakes, and the 
rudest beds were provided. Food was picked up often 
on the banks, for nature had provided bountifully. 
One picture showed how the Indians found an abun- 
which was 8,000 ft. above the sea level, was a fine 
marble monument, which was composed of marbles 
which had, amid all the difficulties of transportation, 
been conveyed from Italy to that far inland and 
ancient town. The people of the town were of hand¬ 
some physique, and the ladies were as charming as 
were to be found in this country. From this city he 
made his excursion out into the country collecting 
Orchids. He passed a fall where the water descended 
400 ft., and the scenery was very delightful, the 
foliage being very luxuriant, and the charm of the 
picture heightened considerably by the large number 
of birds of brilliant plumage. He and his men slept 
on mats, under the canopy of the blue sky. 
The lecturer described how he passed over the Andes 
into one of the valleys in search of the plants he was 
seeking, amid the extravagance of vegetation. The 
extensive forests teemed with food, one of the largest 
and most productive trees being the Bread Fruit Tree. 
There were plenty of birds, including the bush turkeys, 
which provided plentiful fare for them. A visit to one 
of the inland lakes, which was represented on the 
Lilium Longiflorum Harrisii. 
there would soon be a great dearth, because however 
clever English gardeners were they killed about 150,000 
of them in about five years. Up in the higher reaches 
of the country there were 15,000 Indians absolutely 
hostile to everybody civilised—Indians who killed 
their food with poisoned arrows, who had bows and 
spears, and shot with great precision. 
The journey from England to South America and up 
the Magdalena was described, and illustrated from 
photographs taken by the lecturer, and the story 
sounded almost like a romance. In the interior of the 
country are found delightful Spanish towns, with varied 
illustrations of old-time architecture and people of 
primitive taste, and the personal habits and hospitable 
temper of these descendents of the old Spaniards were 
happily set forth. The difficulties of travel were 
frequently shown. Sleep could only be obtained when 
the sleeper was encased in fine netting, for the flies were 
in myriads, and the heat was most intense. The 
Magdalena was navigable for 900 miles inland, and 
there were forests extending for 100 miles on each side, 
the cultivated portion of the forest extending only for 
about twenty miles inland. As the steamer sailed up 
the streams the dusky-skinned people of the forest 
came down to tha shore to sell their fruit, fowls, and 
dance of turtle eggs, and the lecturer observed that, 
whilst turtle was a luxury in England there they had 
a surfeit of it. One of the views representing the 
Andes, rising 8,000 ft. high, in the distance, was very 
effective. Leaving the steamer, he travelled on mules 
right into the interior. They got to a very pretty 
old Spanish town, standing 4,000 ft. high in the Andes, 
and the piazza of which made a very pretty illustration. 
The various forms of vegetation were shown, including 
the Cotton tree covered with ripe Cotton bolls. 
Another old Spanish town of great interest, 700 miles 
from the Atlantic coast, and 4,500 ft. above the sea 
level, was Pie de Cuesta. Tile climate was most salu¬ 
brious : there were twelve hours day and night; every 
tropical fruit was grown, and there was the most 
beautiful scenery that the imagination could conceive. 
The people, too, seemed to be free from those knavish 
traits of character that they found in many Spanish 
towns. Another illustration showed the Orchid, 
Cattleya Mendelii, growing in such profusion, that some 
of the flowers died through the crushing. On he went, 
170 miles to the city of Bogota, which was really the 
capital of Columbia. The scenery through which 
he travelled to Bogota was glorious, for everywhere 
there was brilliancy and prodigality. In the town, 
screen, afforded some very exciting hunting, and here 
Mr. Millican killed a jaguar, the skin of which was 
shown to the audience. Referring to the birds, he 
particularly mentioned the egret, for the feathers of 
which <£S0 per lb. had been paid. Of course, out iu 
these distant places one came across very few 
Europeans, and as a matter of fact the Europeans did 
not number more than 2-^- per cent, of the population. 
Among those he found working in the gold mines was 
one Irishman, who had been out there for ten years, 
and who had had experiences more memorable than 
men about whom books had been written. There was 
no doubt that the mines yielded gold, for he himself 
had brought back nuggets. Pfaviug taken his hearers 
through the perils of his long journey, he gave some 
sketches of the return. Coming to the Isthmus of 
Panama, he said that the canal scheme was a most 
feasible one, and he hoped that ^lie great engineering 
conception of M. de Lesseps would one day be carried 
out. Pursuing the return journey, Jamaica was called 
at, and a picture was given of Kingston. Then 
approaching the old country, views were given of the 
Lizard Lights and the Needles, and the lecturer 
expressed his satisfaction of once more reaching home 
after a long and anxious, but very pleasurable journey. 
