88 HISTOEY OF BOTANY. 



stationed in the north of Ireland, where he remained until 

 1800, prosecuting his botanical studies with great zeal and 

 success. About this time he became acquainted with Sir 

 Joseph Banks, by whom Brown was recommended as 

 naturalist to the expedition sent out by the Government to 

 explore the coasts of Australia, under Captain Matthew 

 Flinders, in the ship 'Investigator,' 1801. . The vessel 

 reached King George's Sound, on the south-west of Aus- 

 tralia, 1802. Remaining there three weeks, he next visited 

 Port Jackson, and in July, 1802, the survey was continued 

 to the northern and north-eastern shores, the gulf of Carpen- 

 taria, and the Pellew, Wellesley, and Wessel's islands. 

 Then the ship went wrong, and the crew became sick, which 

 caused an alteration of the plans, and the expedition 

 returned to Port Jackson, arriving there June, 1803. 



There had been great mortality among the crew, and the 

 ship was condemned as unseaworthy, so Captain Flinders 

 would return home. Brown and some others remained, and 

 Captain Flinders intended to have returned, but suffering 

 the double misfortune of shipwreck and imprisonment by 

 the French governor of Mauritius, his plans became some- 

 what disarranged. Brown and the rest of the party 

 remained until 1805, exploring the Blue Mountains, and 

 other parts of New South Wales, as well as Tasmania and 

 the islands in Bass' Straits. 



As Captain Flinders did not arrive. Brown returned home, 

 bringing with him a collection of 4000 species of plants. 

 Shortly afterwards he became librarian to Sir Joseph Banks, 

 and was subsequently appointed librarian of the Linnean 

 Society. He was now in a position to give careful attention 

 to his collection of plants, and published accounts both of 

 them and of his journeyings; he also contributed a number 

 of valuable papers to the ' Transactions ' of the Linnean 

 Society. 



