PREFACE, 13* 



*' Ton receive always the \vhole of the specimens of every rare kind, 

 nothing of many species having been retained at all, or I satisfied 

 myself with a solitary leaf, or flower, or fruit in many cases ; . . . the plants 

 teing so much more useful at Kevv than in Australia. All my wishes are 

 concentrated upon the point to discharge my duties faithfully and to the 

 satisfaction of the Government." (Hook. Kew Journ. ix. 195.) So also 

 of several of those which he had in early daj^s collected in the north as 

 well as in Victoria and in South Australia, he sent the best specimens 

 to Dr. Sender for description and publication in Germany, and unfor- 

 tunately, a great proportion of the principal botanical treasures of the 

 northern expedition were destroyed by damp in the * Messenger.' 

 But of the results of Dr, Mueller's subsequent herborizations his herba- 

 rium contains good, instructive, and well-preserved specimens. 



2. The collections made during various exploring expeditions in the 

 interior of Australia, and entrusted to Dr. Mueller for deternnnatiou 

 or publication. These are necessarily, from the difficulties attending 

 these expeditions, although highly interesting as to species, often frag- 

 mentary or unsatisfactory as specimens. Among the most important of 

 them are those of Mr. Babbage's expedition to the north-west interior 

 of S. Australia, of Mr. AuGUSTrs Geegory's expedition to Cooper's 

 Creek, and of Mb. E. FixzALAif, in Likut. Siiixii's expedition to the 

 estuary of the Burdekin, all specially reported on by Dr. Mueller; of 

 Mr. J. M*DouALL Stuart, who, notwithstanding the obstacles opposed 

 by the arduous nature of his journey, appears never to have neglected 

 Natural History; and the collections made by Mr. PEMiiERTON Wal- 

 COTT amd Mb. Maitland Beowk, in Mr. Fraxcis Gregory's expedi- 

 tion to the north-west. As I have not been able always to make out 

 from the labels which of these two gentlemen actually gathered the spe- 

 cimens, I have generally quoted them as the results of Mr. Gregory's 

 expedition. The herbarium also contains some specimens from Mb. 

 Landsbgrough's expeditions, and to this class I should perhaps add a 

 large number of the late Dr. Leichharbt's plants, entrusted to Dr. 

 ■Mueller on loan by the trustees of the Sydney Museum on the proposi-' 

 tion of Sir AVilliaai Dexison. These were chiefly collected in the 

 back country from Moreton Bay during two years previous to his cele- 

 brated expedition, together witli a few saved from the general wreck ot 

 the plants of that expedition. I have also seen a few of Dr. Leich- 

 hax^dt's specimens in the herbarium of the Paris !!Museum. 



3. Collections made by gentlemen more or less employed as collcctorii 

 for the botanical department at Melbourne, among whom, those who 



