OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 426 



by Mr. G. Bentliam, F.R.S., assisted by Dr. Mueller, now Baron 

 von Mueller, C.M.G., F.R.S., and gives a full account of all 

 Australian plants known to the authors at the time of publica- 

 tion. No such general and systematic work on Australian 

 Botany has been produced since the appearance of R. Brown's 

 Prodromus, 1810. And in order that nothing of even the latest 

 discoveries should be lost in consequence of the gradual mode of 

 publication which was necessarily adopted, Mr. Bentham in his 

 first issue, 1863, expressed an intention of forming a supplemen- 

 tary volume to contain an account of new species added to our 

 knowledge during the progress of the work, together with a de- 

 tailed examination of the relations as well as of the whole flora to 

 that of other countries, as of its component parts to each other. 

 But, unfortunately, owing to increasing age and infirmities Mr. 

 Bentham finds himself unable to undertake the amount of literary 

 and scientific labour involved in such a task, and he therefore 

 leaves it to Baron von Mueller to complete their joint enterprise. 

 In the preface to the last volume Mr. Bentham pays a just tri- 

 bute to the earnest and unflagging exertions which Yon Miieller 

 has throughout displayed in his contributions. He also refers 

 briefly to some ascertained facts as to the distribution of Austra- 

 lian plants, which are not indeed new, but have been corroborated 

 in the course of his inquiries. I venture to summarise them 

 thus : — The Flora of Australia is, as a whole, endemic or indi- 

 genous, that is to say, it presents quite a peculiar and unmis- 

 takable Australian type. But it is subdivided into two, Eastern 

 and Western, Provinces, which differ almost in every detail, 

 though their general characters are the same. Secondly : the 

 Australian Flora has radiated to some extent into the neighbour- 

 ing Malayan and Melanesian districts by various members (for 

 example) of the Eucalypts, Epacrids, and Leafless Acacias. 

 Thirdly : Northern Australia, from Arnheim's land east- 

 wards, has submitted, to a certain degree, to the influence of 

 immigration from South-eastern Asia and India. Fourthly : the 

 Alpine flora of South-eastern Australia and Tasmania may be 

 traced through New Zealand to the southern extremity of the 

 American continent, and so up the chain of the Andes, which 



