VI NOTES BY THE EDITOR 



Thirdly : To report on the natural features and general capabilities of 

 the country, and to construct a map of the routes. 



At the last dates received, July 1857, the party were en route to the 

 Saskatchewan river, previous to wintering at Carlton House Fort. 

 The correspondence of Mr. Palliser, communicated to the Geograph- 

 ical Society describes the falls of Kakataka, on the White Fish river 

 as finer in some respects than those of Niagara, being upwards of 171 

 feet in height. The volume of water, however, is much less. 



The London Literary Gazette publishes the following resume of the 

 botanical researches and investigations which have recently been under- 

 taken, or are now in progress under the auspices of the Government 

 of Great Britain : 



1. Mr. Milne, Botanist to the Surveying Voyage of Capt. Denham, 

 in H.M.S. Herald, is still pursuing his researches in the South Seas, 

 and especially among the Fejee Islands. . 



2. Dr. H. Fred. Mueller, the able and indefatigable Government 

 Botanist of Victoria, received the appointment of Botanist to the Over- 

 land Expedition in North Australia, under the command of Mr. Greg- 

 ory. This arduous journey has been happily accomplished in the 

 most satisfactory manner. Dr. Mueller has safely returned with his 

 collections, and some account of them will appear in the " Journal of 

 Botany." His expenses were borne by the Australian government. 



3. Vancouver's Island and the adjacent coasts of North- West Amer- 

 ica. Capt. Richards, R. N., has lately sailed in H.M.S. Plumper, for 

 the purpose of surveying these countries, which have attracted no 

 small degree of attention since the boundary line between the United 

 States territories and the British possessions in North America has 

 been so fully discussed, and we believe settled. Although no botanist, 

 or express botanical collector, has been attached to the survey, the 

 assistant-surgeon, Dr. Campbell, and some of the officers, will exert 

 themselves to collect plants ; and we know also that a free passage, 

 and every assistance and facility for herborizing on shore, will be 

 offered to a collector, now expected to be at San Francisco, and who 

 has been invited to join the survey. Vancouver's Island, of very 

 great extent, is said to abound in pines and forest trees. 



4. Mr. Barter, one of the very intelligent gardeners of the Regent's 

 Park Garden, has been appointed by the Admiralty to accompany Dr. 

 Baikie, R. N., in his present ascent and survey of the Kwdra and 

 Binue (formerly considered the Niger and Tsadda) ; and from Dr. 

 Baikie's familiarity with that river there is reason to expect that great 

 opportunities will present themselves for increasing our knowledge of 

 this part of tropical Africa, which has been the grave of so many of 

 our scientific explorers. 



5. The present of a beautiful steam-yacht, lately sent by the British 



