136 BOTANICAL GEOGRAPHY 
great travellers has, to a degree, merged in that of Martius 
and St. Hilaire, etc. 
The subject, however, on which I purpose to offer 
‘some remarks, is of an especial, though no less important 
character; I allude to the Botanical Geography of New Hol- 
land. It is now upwards of twenty years since Dr. Brown 
published his first papers thereon; yet the statements they — E 
contain are laid down in such a wide and sweeping, though 
guarded manner, that subsequent investigation has but con- 
firmed their accuracy. It is only to one feature in Mr. 
Brown's Memoir that I mean to allude, as forming the basis 
of the following observations. 
In the enumeration which follows of the plants that growin — 8 
the southern parts of New Holland, a great approximation 
may be traced towards the European Flora, entirely coinciding 
with Dr. Brown's observations, when he says :—“ It appears, 
from the foregoing remarks on the several Natural Orders, that 
a much greater proportion of the peculiarities of the Australian 
Flora exist in this parallel, which I have therefore called the — 
principal Parallel (lying between 33° and 35° S. latitude), and - 
that many of them are nearly confined to it.” Again :—* Re 
ceding from the principal parallel, most of the characteristic - [. 
tribes diminish in number of species, as well as of indivi- 
duals," etc.* 
It has been to the disadvantage of every branch of science 
connected with the generalhistory of our globe, that Natu- 
ralists, instead of confining themselves to a close examination . 2 
| of the region before them, have all arranged their observa- - 
E been fon totally, or even made them purposely in accord- - 
E uec with a certain favourite theory which they desired to - 
establish.  Anxious to obviate this anomaly, I have divided —— 
the vegetation of the country over which I travelled (namely — — 
from Sydney to the top of the Australian Alps) into five | 
* Vide General Remarks, Geographical and Systematical, on the Botany 
f Terra Australi leui E 
hits hice as cc: P. 586. Appendix = Capt. es V oy ages to Terra | 
