Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

i86 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP,
the mountains and valley around, as noted in his
" List of Excursions "
given at the beginning of
this chapter. The letters to Mr. Bentham and
Sir William Hooker treat chiefly of botanical and
other matters connected with his scientific work,
and these are arranged in order of date so as to
form as far as possible a consecutive narrative.]
To Mr. John Teasdale
AMBATO, NEAR QUITO, March 13, 1858.
... I came hither from Banos two months ago.
My labours there were brought to an abrupt
termination in consequence of having filled all my
I had
paper and the non-arrival of a further supply
sent for to Guayaquil. Ambato is conveniently
situated for communicating both with the coast and
the capital ; but
the low grounds at the western
foot of the Andes are now inundated, and the road
will not be passable for beasts of burden until July,
up to which time Ambato will be my head-quarters.
As soon as I shall have dispatched my collections
to the coast I shall probably move on to Quito ;
for, although Ambato is the prettiest
town in
Ecuador, and the most abundantly supplied with
all sorts of provisions, it is a miserable place for a
botanist. It stands on a plateau, half- way down the
slope of a deep narrow valley,
at the bottom of
which runs the river Ambato, a considerable
stream, coming O from Chimborazo. There is a
broad green band of gardens, orchards, and plots
of lucerne on each side of the river, but outside the
rests on little else than hills and
valley the eye
of sand streaked here and there
rolling plains ;