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26 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP.
from Yurimaguas to the pongo, and on banks grow
abundantly the Gynerium, Enkylista, Lythracea,
and other species frequent also on the Maranon
and Huallaga. It was a tedious navigation up the
winding Mayo to the mouth of the Cumbasa.
There were, the Indians said, twelve turns, and we
had expected but two or three, and it was accordingly
near sunset when we got to that river. To
our great annoyance we found that it had fallen so
much that there was no possibility of our getting
our laden canoes up to the pueblo of Juan Guerra,
which is nearly a mile within. We slept therefore
at the mouth, and the next morning had the cargoes
carried overland to the village.
[A letter to his friend Teasdale describes the
more personal and social aspects of the voyage up
the Solimoes, and will supplement the purely
geographical and botanical notes in the Journal.]
To Mr. John Teasdale
TARAPOTO, July 1855.
I had a long and wearisome voyage from the
Barra to this place, lasting from March 15 to June
21. I was eighteen days in getting up to
a distance of some 1500 miles -- in the
Nauta-
steamer
Monarca ; a wonderful difference this from the
sixty-three days spent in getting from Santarem to
the Barra, a distance scarcely one-fourth so great.
When we were going smartly along by it day was
really delightful, though the coasts are exceedingly
flat much more so than those of the Amazon below
the Barra. I was, however, never tired of admiring