788 president's address. 



Sydney. 



Naturally, Sydney was the first place in Australia where 

 public Botanical Gardens were established, but there seems to be 

 a little haziness about the time at which this was done. 



In 1788, Governor Phillip reported that he had 16 acres of 

 land, situated in the neighbourhood of Sydney Cove (i.e., at Farm 

 Cove), under cultivation on the public account, and in " Tench's 

 Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson," published 

 in 1793, it is stated that, contiguous to Sydney (no doubt at 

 Farm Cove), Phillip had established a Government farm, at the 

 head of which a competent person of his own household was 

 placed, with convicts to work under him; hence the name of 

 " Farm Cove " superseding the aboriginal name of " Wockanna- 

 gully." It was probably here that the first attempt at cultivation 

 in the Colony was made, but most of the farms (among which 

 was that at Farm Cove) were successively abandoned. 



In 1790, Phillip is said to have given to Nicholas Devine 

 permission to occupy part of what is known as " the lower 

 garden," which must have been the land before mentioned, for 

 the purpose of establishing a farm : the lease was afterwards 

 cancelled, and, in 1794, some land at Newtown granted to Devine 

 by way of compensation, and the land leased to him then became, 

 and continued for a long time to be known as, " The Government 

 Garden," but, according to Mr. Edward Stack, it was not until 

 after the arrival of Governor Macquarie, in 1809, that any 

 practical effect was given to Phillip's wishes with regard to public 

 recreation reserves for Sydney. 



In the late Dr. Bennett's "Wanderings during 1832-3-4" he 

 expi-essed regret that the establishment, as a Botanical garden, 

 was not encouraged, it being in fact merely a Government 

 vegetable and fruit garden. And yet this was long after the 

 system of appointing qualified superintendents had been adopted. 



In 1816, Mr. Charles Fraser previously mentioned, was appointed 

 the first superintendent of the Gardens. He accompanied Oxley 

 on his two expeditions to the Lachlan River in 1817, as Colonial 

 Botanist, and was an indefatigable explorer and collector. He 



