NOTICES OF BOOKS. 381 



its being in course of publication (and not tardily, for three stout fas- 

 ciculi, each of eighty pages, and twenty beautiful plates from the pencil 

 of Mr. ritch, have appeared), and to express our satisfaction that at 

 length our country is beginning to feel the importance of making known 

 to the world the vegetable productions of her colonies. "Floras" of 

 the kingdoms and empires of civilized Europe (Spain alone excepted) arc 

 common enough ; and there is scarcely a country in the globe of which 

 detached portions bave not been explored, and their vegetable riches 

 more or less accurately described and illustrated ; but, till within these 

 few years, there has not existed, as far as we know, any such Flora of 

 an extra-European colony, whether under the British or foreign sway, 

 as could be practically useful to a resident or casual visitor who might 

 wish to study Botany. It was the researches and collections of the 

 lamented Sir John Franklin, of Sir John Richardson and Drummond, 

 and the several Arctic voyagers and travellers, which formed thegi*ound- 

 work of the ^ Flora Boreali-Americana, or the Botany of the British 

 Possessions in North America,' which appeared in 1840, "under the 

 auspices of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty." They pro- 

 cured the means for forming the needful collections, and provided the 

 necessary funds for carrying out the publication, — two volumes, 4to, 

 with 248 plates and an excellent map. 



Again, in 1839, the Admiralty sent out an expedition, under Captain 

 Sir James Ross, to explore the Antarctic and adjacent regions ; and 

 thence originated, under the same authority, the important botanical 

 series termed 'The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage,* of whicli the 

 work now under consideration is the third and last section. In 1 844- 

 1847 appeared the first portion or series, — two 4to volumes, with 19S 

 coloured plates, divided into two sections: the first comprising the 

 vegetation of certain islands, British Possessions, though they can 

 scarcely said to be colonized, viz. Lord Auckland's Group and Camp- 

 bell's Island ; and, secondly, of Antarctic Regions {exclusive of Lord 

 Auckland's Group and Campbell's Tsland), and embracing our most 

 southern colony, viz. the Falkland Isbnds. The second section was con- 

 fined to a rising and now highly important colony, 'The Flora of New 

 Zealand/ which was published in 1853-1855, with 130 plates- This 

 is now followed by the third and last scric, describing the vegetation 

 of an equally valuable colony in the southern hemisphere, and which 

 heads this article, viz. 'The Flora of Tasmania/ or, as it has hitherto 



