N"ov., 1908 ] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 105 



Charsley, Fanny Anne ( ). 



Beaconsfield, Victoria. Daughter of a Melbourne solicitor. 

 Author of "The Wild Flowers around Melbourne" (London, 

 1867 1, which consists of 13 large quarto coloured litho. plates of 

 excellent drawings. 



CuRDiE, Daniel (i 810-1884). 



Born at Slidderie, Arran, Scotland, 9th January, 1810, the sixth 

 son of Daniel Mac Curdy. Received his preliminary education at 

 the town of x\yr, and took his M.A. degree at Glasgow in 1832 ; 

 then proceeding to Edinburgh, he graduated M.D. there in 1838. 

 Amongst his class-mates were David Livingstone and Archibald 

 Campbell Tait. 



He left in the ship Caledonia, arriving in Sydney on the 29th 

 September, 1839. Mitchell had recently discovered "Australia 

 P^elix," and after inspecting portions of New South Wales and 

 deciding that squatting would pay better than the medical profes- 

 sion, Dr. Curdie and his nephew overlanded to Port Phillip, and, 

 on reaching Melbourne, camped with their stock on the site of the 

 present Botanic Gardens. On Sth October, 1840, Dr. Curdie fixed 

 his homestead at " Tandarook," 12 miles south of the present 

 town of Camperdown. "Tandarook," in aboriginal language, 

 signifies a place where the "native bread" fungus {Polyporus 

 Mylittce) is to be found. For 1 1 years Dr. Curdie combined 

 squatting with the practice of his profession. 



He was distinguished by his uniform kindness to the blacks. 

 In 1845 ^''^ followed Curdie's River down to the sea, and the 

 estuary was called Curdie's Inlet after him. 



He left for Europe on "Black Thursday " (7th February, 1851), 

 and in Scotland, continuing his studies of sea-weeds, he was so 

 fortunate as to discover a new one. He returned to Melbourne, 

 with a wife, on 14th January, 1854. 



He was an enterprising pastoralist, who unselfishly devoted 

 time and means to many objects for the public good. 



Dr. Curdie frequently exchanged letters with the great Robert 

 Brown, and also with Sir Joseph Hooker, on matters of Victorian 

 botany. He was a correspondent for many years of Mueller's, 

 who often visited " Tandarook." 



He took a great interest in the Melbourne University, and was 

 for many years a member of the Senate. He was admitted ad 

 eundeni gradnAn on 23rd April, 1870. He was a member of the 

 Government expedition sent to observe the total eclipse of the 

 sun at Cape York in 1872 in the steamer Governor Blackall. The 

 trip enabled him to study sea-weeds under favourable conditions ; 

 this was the branch of botany to which he devoted special 

 attention. Mrs. Curdie was also a highly educated woman, and 

 her tastes lay in the direction of botany and horticulture. 



