Description
Book SynopsisBerthold Seemann (1825â71), a German-born botanist and traveller, published several scientific books and articles. He also composed music and in the 1860s he wrote three plays which enjoyed some success in Germany. In 1846 Seemann was appointed naturalist to the British ship HMS Herald, which was engaged in a hydrographical survey of the Pacific. In this two-volume work, published in 1853, the author recounts how he joined the Herald in Panama in 1847 and remained on board until 1851. The ship explored almost all of the West Coast of America and also sailed north into the Arctic seas. In Volume 1, Seemann arrives in Panama, only to find that the Herald is not yet in port; he uses the time to explore the Isthmus, the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and in the process discovers a number of new plants.
Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Departure from England; 2. Departure from Rio de Janeiro; 3. Papudo Bay; 4. The Galapagos Islands; 5. Boundary line of Nueva Granada; 6. City of Panama; 7. Cape Flattery rocks; 8. Cape Mendocina; 9. Siguantenejo; 10. Survey of the western coast of Nueva Granada; 11. Republic of Ecuador; 12. Loja; 13. Navon; 14. Guayaquil; 15. Survey of the coast of Darien; 16. Geographical position of the Isthmus of Panama; 17. Flora and fauna of the Isthmus of Panama; 18. Topographical description; 19. Inhabitants of the Isthmus; 20. The Indians of the Isthmus.
