BOTANICAL DISCOVERY. xvil 
”~ 
proved to be in later years. Among the plants gathered were Olearia 
operina, Celmisia holosericea, Gentiana saxosa and G. montana, and 
Cordyline indivisa. 
From Dusky Sound the “ Resolution” proceeded northwards to 
Queen Charlotte Sound, which was reached on the 18th May. Here she 
rejoined the “ Adventure,” which had arrived on the 7th April. Both 
vessels left on the 7th June, in the first place for a cruise to the south- 
east of New Zealand, in further search for a southern continent, and 
then for eastern Polynesia. In October Cook again directed his course 
to New Zealand. Making the coast of the North Island near Table 
Cape, he steered to the south, stopping near Cape Kidnappers 
to give pigs and fowls to some Natives that came off to his ship. 
Up to this time the two vessels had been in company, but off Cape 
Palliser exceptionally severe weather was encountered, and they sepa- 
rated. The “ Resolution”? proceeded to Queen Charlotte Sound, 
which had been appointed a place of rendezvous, and remained there 
waiting for her consort from the 3rd November to the 25th, when 
Cook left for a cruise to the Antarctic Ocean. Five days after 
his departure the “ Adventure ” arrived, and remained until the 23rd 
December. During this stay an unfortunate dispute arose with the 
Maoris, which led to the massacre of a boat’s crew of ten men. After 
a year’s explorations in various parts of the Pacific, Cook once more 
returned to New Zealand, anchoring in his favourite resort, Queen 
Charlotte Sound, on the 19th October, 1774. His stay was but short, 
and on the 10th November he left on his return voyage, reaching 
Plymouth on the 30th July, 1775. 
From the above sketch it will be seen that the only localities bot- 
anized in during Cook’s second voyage were Queen Charlotte Sound, 
which had already been explored by Banks and Solander, and Dusky 
Sound. But a much longer period was spent in harbour and on shore 
than during the previous voyage, and the collections ought to have 
been quite as extensive. Instead of this, they were much smaller, 
the total number of flowering-plants and ferns not exceeding 180 
species. Sets of these were distributed to several public and private 
herbaria, unfortunately in a somewhat careless manner as regards the 
nomenclature, thus causmg many mistakes and much confusion. 
Within twelve months after their return the two Forsters conjomtly 
issued a work entitled ‘“‘ Characteres Genera Plantarum,” in which 
seventy-five new genera were shortly described and _ illustrated, 
thirty-one of them being from New Zealand. The book is interesting 
on account of containing the first published descriptions of New Zea- 
land plants, but otherwise is most disappointing. The descriptions 
are short and meagre, and the illustrations so badly executed as to 
be practically useless. In 1786 George Forster published his “‘ Florule 
Insularum Australium Prodromus,” which contains diagnoses of 594 
species, about 170 of which have New Zealand assigned as a habitat. 
