LATE ALLAN CUNNINGHAM, ESQ. 277 



Mr Cunningham,bavingobtained an additional convict-servant 

 from the commandant at Bathurst, set off on an expedition 

 to the northward, with the intention of travelling some dis- 

 tance down the Cugeegong River ; but at an early stage of his 

 journey, one of his packhorses having broken from its tether- 

 rope in the night, being alarmed by the fall of a large tree 

 in the adjoining forest which was on fire, he was precluded 

 going to that extent he had originally intended, and much 

 time was expended in searching for the lost animal, for his 

 remaining horse could not convey the necessary provisions and 

 baggage of the parly. The time however was not wholly 

 lost; for our botanist made excursions in the vicinity of his 

 encampment, that possibly repaid him as well as if he had 

 been enabled to reach the farthest point of his projected 

 journey. He visited Mount Stirling, Earin's Head, Table 

 Bucco Flat, and places at a short distance from his encamp- 

 ment, most of which afforded him an interesting addition to his 

 previous collections. The botanical acquisitionsof his journey 

 are detailed at length in a paper, entitled, A Specimen of the 

 Indigenous Botany of the mountainous country between the 

 colony round Port Jackson, and the settlement of Bathurst, 

 being a portion of the result of Observatiotis made in the 

 months of October, November, and December, 1822; dis- 

 posed according to the Natural Orders, by Mr Allan Cun- 

 ningham, Botanical Collector for his Majesty's Gardens at 

 Kew* The party returned to Paramatta, on the 4th of 

 January, 1823. 



Mr Cunningham now contemplated a much more extended 

 journey : the observations made in his late tour afforded him 

 considerable hopes of penetrating from Bathurst northerly, 

 towards the then but little known Liverpool plains, and of 

 opening a communication with that district, which would be 

 the means of giving to the rapid tide of emigrants that were 

 now flocking to New South Wales, a new and untrodden 



♦ Geographical Memoirs on New South Wales, by various hands. 

 Edited by Barron Field, Esq., F.L.S., &c., &c., 8vo. 1825, p. 323. 



