Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/242

232 The magnificent prospect of the harbor of Rio is well known. One feature in Brazilian scenery which particularly strikes the European eye is, that the palms always grow largest on the summit of the highest hills. During my stay I had the pleasure to become known to William Harrison. Esq., residing at Botofogo, through whose instrumentality many beautiful plants have been introduced to England, and who bestows great pains on collecting subjects in other departments of Natural History, illustrative of Brazil. In company with this gentleman and his relation, Mr. Henry Harrison, I made a short journey to the interior, where I was excessively gratified with the rich luxuriance of the follest, though the season was too early to display it in all its glory, and particularly delighted with the curious and endlessly varied forms of the Orchideae. Mr. Harrison cultivates with great success about seventy species of this family of plants, by simply nailing them to the garden wall, and giving them the assistance of the bark or wood whereon they naturally grew, to aid them in climbing and supporting themselves. He possesses also an aviary, containing several rare and beautiful native birds.

I also made the acquaintance of the late John Dickson. Esq., surgeon, R. N., who was never so happy as when he had the opportunity of doing any act of kindness. On the 15th of October I quitted this charming place with much regret, increased by having been scarcely able to add any dried plants to my collection, owing to the earliness of the season and the continued rain. For a few days, until we got clear of land, the weather was changeable, accompanied by wet in the evenings.

At 4 on Tuesday, the 19th of October, a fine breeze sprang up, and we bore away for the south, gradually leaving the fine weather. Off the River Plata, in latitude 37 de grees south, longitude 37 degrees west, immense shoals of Fucus pyriformis passed the ship, some specimens of which