xvl HISTORY OF 
fully described by Solander at the time of collection, and coloured 
drawings prepared of many of the species. Little additional labour 
was therefore required to prepare the results for publication. Evi- 
dently Banks intended that this should be done, for at his own 
expense he had 700 plates engraved on copper, and Solander’s manu- 
script descriptions were revised and systematically arranged. The 
New Zealand portion, which was entitled “ Primitie Flore Nove 
Zealandie,”’ contained descriptions of nearly 360 species, illustrated 
by over 200 plates, and was practically ready for the press. Why it 
was not actually published is by no means clear, but the suggestion 
has been made that publication was at first delayed by the prepara- 
tions made by Banks and Solander to accompany Cook in his second 
voyage, a project which was ultimately abandoned ; and that a more 
serious interruption was caused by Solander’s somewhat sudden death 
in 1782. After his companion’s decease, Banks became more and 
more occupied with his duties as President of the Royal Society, and 
as an organizer and promoter of scientific research, and the idea of 
publication appears to have been abandoned. As stated in the pre- 
face, a type-written copy of Solander’s descriptions and a set of im- 
pressions from the plates have been liberally furnished by the Trus- 
tees of the British Museum for use in the preparation of this work. Of 
their scientific value I cannot speak too highly ; and it is a matter for 
regret that they were not presented to the world 125 years ago. It 
is, however, some satisfaction to know that the botanical results of 
the whole voyage are now, after this long delay, being issued under 
the auspices of the British Museum, and under the careful editing of 
Mr. Britten. 
On the 9th April, 1772, Cook left England for his second voyage, 
the expedition consisting of two ships, the “ Resolution ” under his 
own command, and the “Adventure” under that of Captam Fur- 
neaux. John Reinhold Forster and his son George Forster, both 
well-known botanists, accompanied him in the capacity of naturalists, 
and were joined at the Cape of Good Hope by Dr. Sparrmann, also a 
botanist of repute, and a former pupil of Linnaeus. After several 
months had been spent in an unsuccessful search for a southern con- 
tinent, Cook made sail for the south of New Zealand. During the 
voyage he was accidentally separated from the “ Adventure,” and 
failmg to rejoin her put into Dusky Sound, the entrance to which 
had been noticed in his first voyage. He remained there from the 26th 
March, 1773, to the 1st May, mainly for the purpose of refitting, and to 
give his crew a rest after the months of incessant buffeting experienced 
in high southern latitudes. During his stay many boat voyages were 
made to various parts of the Sound, and a careful survey was made 
of it. The two Forsters devoted much of their time to botanizing, 
but their collections were by no means so large as might have been 
expected, considering what a productive locality Dusky Sound has 
