DESCRIPTION AND SKETCHES ON BOTANICAL SUBJECTS.
Among the party who accompanied Major Peddie in the mission into the interior of Africa, was Mr. Kummer, who was charged to make collections in every department of natural history, with drawings and descriptions of whatever was most interesting in that line, as well as to keep a regular journal of general observations and events.
Many sketches of animals and plants, and several notes were made; but these are of such a nature as to require an examination of the specimens from which they were taken, before they can be valuable to a naturalist who is not previously acquainted with the subjects themselves. Unfortunately the individual articles were lost.
From the drawings, however, and descriptions, such as they are, we have selected four of the most perfect, which relate to as many plants, and which do not appear to us to have been noticed by former naturalists. In doing this however, we cannot help regretting the extremely imperfect state of the materials. Had all the collections of Mr. Kummer been saved, they might have formed a most important addition to our present unsatisfactory acquaintance with the natural history of Western Africa.
The plants alluded to were found between Cape Verga, at the mouth of Rio Nunez, and the establishment called Tingalinta.
It is with much pleasure I take this opportunity of acknowledging my obligations to Dr. Hooker, Professor of Botany, at the Glasgow University, for the following plates and their descriptions.