Robert Schomburgk was a German-born surveyor who worked for the British government in the first half of the nineteenth century. Between 1837 and 1840 he undertook a surveying expedition at the behest of the Royal Geographical Society to British Guiana in South America (now Guyana). The colony had been ceded to Britain by the Dutch in 1814 but its borders and geography remained relatively unknown. During the course of the expedition, Schomburgk explored the source of the Essequibo river, becoming the first European to do so.

On his return to London in 1840, he published this book, which formed the first comprehensive study of Guyana. It looked at the geography of the region and made recommendations to the government on how best to improve the commercial prospects of the colony. He also petitioned the government to allow him to return to South America so that he could define the border between Guyana and neighbouring Venezuela and Brazil. This he did in 1841, undertaking a treacherous journey into the rainforest, surveying a border that became known as the ‘Schomburgk Line’. This border was later used in negotiations to settle boundary disputes in 1899 and 1904.

In 1844, Schomburgk was knighted for his efforts in South America.