NOTES ON EMEX AUSTRALIS. 965 
the introduction of Hmex australis into Western Australia, the 
knowledge of which could scarcely have escaped him. 
It may, however, be possible that he did not know of its 
introduction, or that his remarks on this subject were lost ; yet 
it remains a fact that the plant was deliberately introduced into 
Western Australia from the Cape of Good Hope as a culinary 
vegetable when Drummond was head gardener with the Governor, 
and that its uselessness as a food plant, as well as its objectionable 
nature, became rapidly known throughout the small settlement at 
that time. 
The information on this point is gathered from the lips of Mr. 
D. Wonsborough, who is one of the very few remaining survivors 
of the earliest settlers at the Swan River. As his story is, 
besides, an interesting reminiscence of the infant days of this 
rast territory which, dacine the past few years, has attracted the 
attention of thousands and increased its population lately as 
rapidly as formerly the influx was slow, I will give it in full and 
in his own words : 
“The offer to make land grants at the rate of 40 acres for every 
£5 capital invested in the settlement of the country (stock, imple- 
ments, tools, goods of every description, cash, &c., purchased the 
land at that rate) induced Mr. Wm. Tanner to Guaster a vessel 
and load it for the new settlement. JI was newly married and 
engaged myself, like several other families, to come out with Mr. 
Tanner, and signed contract to serve him for five years at culti- 
vating the land in the new countr y. We left Bristol in June, 
1830, in the well-fitted barque ‘Margaret,’ but through bad 
weather encountered in the Bay of Biscay a considerable portion 
of the stock was lost, and after a protracted voyage reached the 
Cape of Good Hope early i in October. Hearing at this place very 
discouraging news about the newly formed Swan River settle- 
ment, Mr. Tanner resolved to abandon his plan of proceeding 
there and sold the remainder of his stock, together with agricul- 
ture implements, of which he had brought a splendid assortment, 
and vehicles, as well as nearly the whole cargo. The greater part 
of the goods, &c., were sold by auction at a considerable loss on 
the first purchase money, and the ‘Margaret’ proceeded to 
Mauritius to load sugar. 
“We stayed about seven weeks at the Cape, during which time 
the Scotch barque ‘Drummore,’ bound for Freemantle and 
Tasmania, put in for water and provisions. In consequence of 
this event, Mr. Tanner resolved to take passage to Tasmania, 
with the view of settling there, and offered to take those along 
with him who liked to come, or had not found work at the Cape. 
The most of us acquiesced in this new arrangement. Mr. Tanner 
then reserved of his goods that had not been sold, and purchased 
other things back before we embarked. After leaving the Cape 
