THE NORTH-AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 195 



times, to which the collections were exposed, and with the want of con- 

 sideration on the side of the horses with regard to their valuable bur- 

 den, many of my specimens have suffered frightfully, particularly such 

 brittle kinds as Eucalyptus, Loranthus, Capparis, etc., of which I am 

 now obliged in many instances to place the remaining fragments in 

 paper capsules. Let me however, Sir William, state, that you receive 

 always the whole of the specimens of every rare kind, nothing of many 

 species having been retained at all, or that I satisfied myself with a 

 solitary leaf and flower, or fruit, in many cases. Indeed, since I have 

 been able to derive the requisite information on almost all the plants 

 collected, there is very little desire on my side to augment my private 

 herbarium, the plants being so much more useful at Kew than in 

 Australia. All my wishes are concentrated upon the point, to dis- 

 charge my duties faithfully, and to the satisfaction of the Government. 

 Since writing the first part of this letter I have placed ail the Crypto- 

 gamia in order, and have added more Calyciflora to the last packed 

 up, so that at least 1200 specimens will be forwarded this time, includ- 

 ing also all the duplicates of a collection presented to me by Mr. Hill, 

 of Brisbane, the exact number of species being 304. 



The mail is soon closing, and, having just finished copying the descrip- 

 tions corresponding to the now transmitted plants, I beg to sum up 

 their principal contents. 160, for the greater part unknown plants, 

 are in the transmitted pages fully described, chiefly from living speci- 

 mens, and the characters of 16 new genera are given. Unless speci- 

 mens and notes on board of the ■ Messenger ■ are lost, this will com- 

 prise only one-fourth of my writings, at least with regard to species. 



Mertispermece comprise two species of Cocculus and one of Stephania, 

 which, with a fourth species of Moreton Bay and the Snowy River Coccu- 

 lus, advances the Order to five species in Australia, none being pre- 

 viously described from this country unless by recent labours of M.ers, 



to which I have no access. 



Nymphceace* seem to be reduced to two species in Australia, common 

 throughout the tropics, but little beyond. 1 stated erroneously to have 



seen Nymphaa carulea, for both belong to the section Lotus one ben. 

 unquestionably your N. gigantea, although I never observed, flovvers o. 

 such a diameter' as Mr. Bidwill described. The other I have faded to 

 identify with any Indian species. Had I not seen the man.fold van, 

 ties of these two kinds, 1 might have been induced to pronounce tl, 



