

XXX111 



was desirous of having the vegetable resources of that Colony turned 

 to the best account. This resulted in the creation of a Department 

 of Botany in the public service of Victoria, and the appointment of 

 Mueller to its directorship. 



In July, 1855. an expedition was organised at Sydney, with the 

 view of discovering the fate of Leichardt, who in 1847 had started 

 with a fully-equipped party in an endeavour to cross the continent 

 of Australia from east to west, but of whom no tidings had 

 been obtained for seven years. The search party was conducted 

 by Mr. A. C. (afterwards Sir Augustus) Gregory, and Mueller 

 was attached to it as botanist. Leaving Sydney in July of that 

 year in the barque " Monarch," the expedition sailed round the 

 north coast of Australia to the Victoria River, on the north-west 

 coast of the continent, and after spending a year in the exploration 

 of the sources of that river to the 17th degree of S. latitude, it 

 returned by land across the continent, skirting the Gulf of Carpen- 

 taria, and finally reaching the Darwin River in Queensland, in 

 November, 1856. During this remarkable journey nearly 20 of 

 unexplored country were traversed, and Mueller, who proved himself 

 an invaluable member of the expedition, obtained magnificent 

 collections of plants abounding in novelties, all carefully anno- 

 tated and in perfect condition. He subsequently made two other 

 extended land journeys, both in Western Australia, one in 1867, 

 when he explored the country between King George's Sound and the 

 Stirling Range; the other to the district east of Shark's Bay, 

 between the Murchison and Gascoigne Rivers. 



In 1857 Mueller was appointed, at a suitable salary, Director of the 

 Melbourne Botanical Gardens, with herbarium, library and labora- 

 tory, which post he held till 1873, when he was deprived of the 

 administration of the gardens on the ground of his paying too 

 much attention to the introduction and cultivation of plants of 

 purely scientific interest, and too little to the aesthetic require- 

 ments of the Melbourne public, who desired to see their extensive 

 public grounds and garden rival in beauty the far-famed and no 

 less scientific establishment of the same kind at Adelaide in the 

 adjoining colony of South Australia. The fact is, that, great as 

 were Mueller's contributions in many ways to horticulture and 

 gardening in Australia and Europe, he was neither a practical 

 horticulturist nor a landscape gardener. On the occasion of his 

 demission the Colonial Government treated him with great 

 consideration and liberality, retaining his services as Government 

 botanist, with residence, un diminished salary, herbarium, library, 

 and laboratory. 



The principal labours of Mueller may be classed under the two heads 

 of scientific and economic botany, especially forestry. It is impos- 



