2^2 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



studies; but in South Africa, unfurtunaleh . alnicist nu records ot" ihis 

 kind exist. The scanty information in this direction which we 

 possess is obtained from geological records of other countries, where 

 fragments of plants allied to those of South Africa have been found. 



If we examine the state of our knowledge of the vegetation of 

 South Africa in these three directions we find, that a considerable 

 amount of work has been done with regard to the first branch of this 

 study, an account of which will be the main object of this address, for 

 little only can be said with regard to the other points mentioned, 

 few men having devoted themselves to the study of these questions. 



The older collectors of plants at the Cape paid very little atten- 

 tion to the questi(jns under discussion. They contented themselves 

 with gathering the more remarkable plants of the country and sent 

 them home, in many ca.ses with no other designation than " from 

 the Cape." The names and details of life of these men are given in 

 the Presidential Address which Prof. MacOwan read before the 

 S.A. Philosophical Society in 1886. 



Some of the more prominent of these botanists are : Carl Pehr 

 Thunberg, who arrived at the Cape in 177.; and travelled here for 

 three years collecting many thousands of plants. Prof. MacOwan calls 

 him the father of Cape Botany. The first Flora of the Cape bears 

 his name, although it was not ccjmpletexl by him. 



Apart from the remarks attached tO' many of the plants, he 

 gives a general account of the nature of the country, which is highlv 

 interesting to the modern reader, as it was written more than 100 

 years ago. As an example of it I may mention his <lescription of the 

 Cape Flats. " Covered with deep and mostly moving sand, inundated 

 in autumn and dried up in spring, devoid of water and inhabitants."' 



A companion of Thunberg was Francis Masson, who remained at 

 the Cape, when the former left for Sweden, his native country. During 

 the many years of his life at the Cape he paid special attention to 

 the numerous .succulents of our flora, and published a work on the 

 Stapeliae. which contains many beautiful illustrations of these curious 

 plants, it is remarkable that several plants figured by him have 

 never been found again since that time. 



Although the labours of these two men and of their predecessors 

 had brought a large number of Ca[je plants to the knowledge of 

 Science, no attempt was made to discuss the distribution of these 

 plants or to describe the influence which thev had on llie character 

 of the landscape. 



The first traveller who ])aid considerable attention to these 

 matters Avas Burchell, who arrived at the Cape in 181 1 with the 

 intention of penetrating into the unknown North in order to reach 

 the Zambesi. Although he did not succeed in this attempt, he was 

 able to carry out some most valuable explorations. Possessing a 

 comprehensive training in all the supplementary sciences required 

 by a geographical explorer, and being gifted with a poetical 

 language and a skilful brush, he has given us a highlv scientific and 

 at the same time most attractive account of his travels. Here we 

 find the first description of the botanical features of various ])arts 



