THE society's heritage tbom the macleays. 



607 



What is here meant seems to be, either that Maearthur, or perhaps his bro- 

 ther James, was arranging to return to Australia as soon as he could hear of a 

 suitable ship, and that W. S. Macleay was hoping to accompany him as a fellow- 

 passenger. Or it may, perhaps, have meant tliat he had merely undertaken, on 

 W. S. Macleay's liohnlf, to make inquiries for a suitable ship for the latter and liis 

 friends, his cousins, William and John. W. S. Macleay was prepared to depart 

 in August, as appears from his letter to Dr. McClelland, written on August 12th, 

 1838, "I am now on the eve of embarking for Sydney," meaning approximately, 

 and not on the following day. But the cousins were not ready to sail so soon, 

 possibly on account of the last illness of tlieir mother, or of .John's delicate health. 

 The Plant-book gives the date of receipt of the plants brought by W . S . Macleay, 

 per Royal George, as March, 1839. Allowing four months for the voyage, the 

 embarkation of the party must have been postponed from August to November or 

 early in December, 1838. 



W. S. Macleay's motives for \isiting Australia, besides a desire to rejoin his 

 relatives, from whom he had been separated for more than twelve years, may very 

 well have been to give the climate a trial, as that of England did not suit his 

 health after ten years' residence in the tropics; and to see something of the 

 wonderful fauna and flora, under very favourable conditions. After some experi- 

 ence, the attractiveness of the mild and sunny climate, of congenial friends, of the 

 beautiful garden, and of the harbour and the bush close at hand, irresistibly ap- 

 pealed to him ; the idea of remaining for three or four years only was given up, and 

 Sydney became his permanent home for the rest of his life. Indeed, he never 

 seems to have left it, except to visit Brownlow Hill, and possibly Illawarra. He 

 would certainly never have left Australia wliile Robert Lowe was a resident of 

 Sydney (1842-50). 



W. S. Macleay and his two cousins arrived in Sydney in March, 1839. Other 

 notable arrivals in the same year were the Rev. W. B. Clarke, Mr. John Rae, 

 end Mr., afterwards Sir Alfred Stephen (from Tasmania), all three of whom 

 spent the rest of their days in Sydney ; and John Gould, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles 

 Meredith, who came as visitors. 



After his ari'ival in Sydney, W. S. Macleay seems to have been most at- 

 tracted by the marine fauna. This is not surprising, as he had never before been 

 so favourably situated for marine collecting and study. Tow-netting, dredging, 

 and shore-collecting could be carried out under most favourable conditions. 

 The fishermen used to draw their nets on the sandy beach at the bottom of the 

 garden; and it was easy to get into touch with them, for the supply of remark- 

 able or other specimens desired, that they might capture. It was from this source, 

 evidently, that the sea-snake, offered to Dr. Cantor, was obtained. 



The first contribution to Science after his arrival was a paper on the "Natural 

 arrangement of Fishes," sent as a letter to his friend Dr. McClelland, in Cal- 

 cutta, dated 12th September, 1840. This was published in the Calcutta .Journal of 

 Natural History for July. 1841; and reprinted in the Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol, 

 is., p. 197 (1842). It was written partly to express W. S. Macleay's apprecia- 

 tion of McClelland's paper on Indian Cyprinidae, to which family the author had 

 applied Macleay's principles of classification ; partly to apply liis principles to 

 the classification of Fishes in general; and partly because he was not satisfied 

 with Swainson's arrangement. His objections to Swainson's methods liave been 

 •luoted above. A number of outline sketches of Sydney fishes among the W. S 

 Macleay relies were probably made in the preparation of the paper. 



