PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 747 



in the colour, texture, and scaling of the bark, and in the rami- 

 fication and general appearance of these trees, more readily 

 distinguish them than botanists have as yet been able to do." I 

 do not doubt that the names on the Vienna specimens are some 

 of those referred to by Brown, and it is my intention to shortly 

 publish them with their botanical equivalents, and some notes on 

 Caley's career, in the Agy^ic^tHural Gazette of New South Wales. 



Through the kindness of the Hon. Phillip Gidley King, M.L.C., 

 grandson of Governor King, I have been enabled to critically 

 examine his fine collection of coloured drawings of New South 

 Wales plants executed by I. W. Lewin from about 1805 to 1808 

 for Governor and Mrs. King. Little is known of Lewin, but he 

 was of course a contemporary of Caley,and doubtless obtained some 

 botanical assistance from the latter. They were shipmates on at 

 least one occasion. Most of the drawings are of the indigenous 

 vegetation of Port Jackson; a few are of weeds and other intro- 

 duced plants. Botanical dissections are given in a number of 

 instances. I have Mr. King's permission to publish my deter- 

 minations, which I hope to do shortly. Besides these, Mr. King 

 has two beautiful paintings by Lewin, really artistic productions. 

 Both are on parchment (perhaps old drum-heads), each measuring 

 21 X 18 inches without the frames. One is the Waratah {Telopea 

 speciosissima), and is signed " I. W. Lewin, Nov. 20th, 1805, 

 New South Wales." The other is the Gigantic Lily {Dorynnthes 

 exceha), and is signed " I. W. Lewin, A.L.S., New South Wales, 

 June 19th, 1808." Surely we may include Lewin amongst the 

 small band of those who diffused a knowledge of our flora during 

 the early years of the nineteenth century. If he depicted a bird 

 on a tree, a twig was usually so carefully drawn that the tree 

 may be botanically determined. It is hoped that no eftbrts will 

 be spared to collect all that is known of the work of this — the 

 first Australian scientific artist. Following is infoi^mation in 

 regard to Lewin taken from the " Historical Records of New 

 South Wales " : — 



Vol. iii., 358. The Duke of Portland writes to Governor 

 Hunter, under date 6th February, 1798 — "Mr, Lewin is a painter 



