1800.] Lhe Emperor of Germany’s Botanic Garden, Schinbrunn. 529 
fcarcely to difpofe of eight or nine thoufand 
negroes, difpirited by the total neglect they 
experienced, and fenfible of the infufici- 
ency of their means for any important enter- 
prile, dared not even to fofter the favourite 
idea of planters, to amafs a fortune, and 
pafs their latter days ig Eurepe. They 
wveretaied, in the ftricteft fenfe of the term. 
Poffefled of a climate and foil like that of 
Guiana, they could not be uneafy as to 
their fubfiftence ; nay, they were certain, 
that they could never experience a) real 
want of the principal neceflaries of life. 
Being neceffitated to procure from Europe 
wine, flour, cloathing, and fome other 
things, they raifed exactly as many com- 
modities as were tantamount to the value 
of thofe articles, for which they exchanged 
their produce. ‘They exported, therefore, 
little or nothing for the benefit of the mo-- 
ther country, and as the latter was obli- 
ged to keep agents in Guiana, it began 
even to confider this colony, which might 
shave become a fource of great opulence 
and wealth, in the light of a burthenfome 
poffeffion. 
The inhabitants, thinly fcattered over 
valt d¢farts, were furrounded by negroes, 
who, fo far from rendering their fituation 
more comfortable, threatened to become 
dangerous to their fafety and peace. Cut 
off from all fociety with perfons of their 
own defcription, byjimpervious brakes and 
brambles, through which they could not 
move, unlefs preceded by negroes with 
axes intheir hands ; and moft of them pot- 
fefled of fmall miferable houfes, in a coun- 
try where it rains feven or eight months 
out of twelve, they had no pleafure left 
but that of enjoying a great variety of 
fifh and game, a pleafure which pofleffes 
but feeble charms for men infulated and 
fequeftered from the world. Under thefe 
circumftances, feveral planters relinquifhed 
entirely the cultivation of the foil, and 
confined themfelves to therearing of cattle, 
which could be kept withcut care and ex- 
pence in the immenfe favannas or natural 
meadows of the country. Thus difcou- 
ragement and poverty forced them to imi- 
tate the indolence and idlenefs which pre- 
vail among the Spanifh planters in the 
fineft parts of St. Domingo, Porto Rico, 
and even in Cuba. 
We mutt here be allowed to point 
out an abfurdity, which has been fre- 
quently repeated in French journals, and 
which betrays the groffef{ ignorance on 
the part of thofe who propagated it. In 
a pretended letter from Cayenne, it was 
faid, that the ill-fated exiles entreated their 
friends in the moft preffing terms to fend 
them poultry and cattle, while the truth is» 
that this colony, if it were lefs diftan® 
from the mother-country, would, in a 
fhort time beable to fupply all France with 
cattle and poultry. 
( To be continued. ) 
aE 
I 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
HISTORICAL PARTICULARS relative to 
the EMPEROR Of GERMANY’S BOTANIG 
GARDEN at SCHONBRUNN. , 
[ Extra€ted from the Preface of VN. F. Fac- 
uin’s Plantarum rariorum  Horti Cafaret 
Scheenbrunnenfis Defcript. et Icones.] 
HE emperor Francis I. caufed in 
1753 a field at the back of the 
garden of the palace at Schonbrunn to be 
laid out for garden-plants and exotics. 
By the advice of the great Van Swieten, 
the then celebrated floriftt Advian Steck- 
hoven was invited from Leyden to Schon- 
brunn, where he ereéted many green- 
houfes and hot-houfes, and other neceflary 
buildings. In the mean time Richard 
van der Schot, of Delft in Holland, was 
appointed firft gardener; and was com- 
mifoned to bring with him to Vienna 
the rare plants of Steckhoven, which had 
been purchafed, and other exotics from 
feveral Datch gardens. Thus, after the 
lapfe of only one year, the garden was 
become already rich in valuable plants. 
M. Jacquin, who then refided in Vienna, 
vifited the garden at Schdnbrunn for the 
purpofe of determining to what genus 
fuch of the plants belonged as had not 
yet received a fyftematical appellation. 
On this occafion he became known to the 
emperor, who made the propofal to him, 
to undertake at his expence a botanical 
expedition to the Welt-Indies, ana the 
warm parts of America, for the purpofe 
of enriching the garden with the plants of 
thofe regions. Jacquin accepted this 
offer, and aétually fet out from Vienna in 
1754, accompanied by Wan der Schot, 
the gardener: and in pafling through 
Italy, he was joined by two other afloci- 
ates, John Buonamici and Ferdinand Bar- 
culli (two Florentine naturalifts ), who were 
to collect animals, &c. for the. Imperial 
menagerie and cabinet of natural hittory. 
He travelled over the iflands of Marti- 
nique, Grenada, St. Vincent, Domingo, 
Euftatius, St. Chriftopher, St. Bartho- 
lomew, Aruba, Jamaica, Cuba, Cura- 
cao; and returned to Vienna in 1759.6 
From Auguft 1757, to the middle of 
January 1758, he coulddo but little for the 
advancement of botany: as be was during 
four months’ very ill with a lientery, from 
rie Ge which 
