64 THE SOUTH AND ITS SCIENTIFIC SCOPE 



twofold lovely as the first relief after a tedious sea voyage. 

 Several hospitable friends of the family lived here, and Hooker 

 rejoiced to explore the wonders and beauties of the island so 

 familiar to him from books. He and his fellow officers had 

 long planned an excursion to the valley of an ancient crater 

 in the mountainous heart of the island, and he sent home a 

 lively description of the jaunt. This gallop up to the Curral 

 is one of the ' unnecessary entertainments.' True, Joseph did 

 not fail to collect all the plants he could find both here and 

 in the Cape de Verde Islands and St. Helena, where also he 

 roamed afield ; but the season was too late everything was 

 burnt up : not to add that he was unpractised in making a 

 large collection. Worse still, an old hand, Cuming, 1 visited 

 St. Helena a week or two after he was there, and in one strenu- 

 ous day made a much more brilliant collection. Sir William 

 accordingly admits his excuses as to drought ashore, damp 

 and ill accommodation afloat, but confesses to considerable dis- 

 appointment. Robert Brown, his botanic idol, likes Joseph's 

 sketches and notes ; but as to the collection, merely sends 

 suggestions for better preservation of the specimens, such as 

 the use of brown paper in the tropics, instead of blotting-paper, 

 which ferments. 



And Sir William, repeating that he ought in future to 

 secure, if possible, an assistant collector to leave him free for 

 the mental work of describing and drawing, adds, it is too 

 much for a man to collect well and to note well. Assuredly he 

 is well employed but is not specialising enough. Great oppor- 

 tunities lie before him. No botanist has been to Southern 

 New Zealand since Menzies 2 and Vancouver. 3 In Tasmania 



1 Hugh Cuming (1791-1865), conchologist and botanist, who was long 

 settled at Valparaiso. He spent 1835-9 in exploring the Philippines. It was 

 on his way back to England via the Cape that he visited St. Helena. 



2 Archibald Menzies (1754-1842) began his botanical career as a gardener 

 in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden ; was encouraged by Hope, the Professor, 

 to qualify as a surgeon, and completed his reputation as naturalist and surgeon 

 on Vancouver's voyage in the Discovery, 1790-5. He was elected to the 

 Linnean Society in 1790. 



3 George Vancouver (1758-98) sailed as a seaman in Cook's second voyage, 

 and rose to be a captain in the navy. After the Nootka Sound dispute with 

 Spain, he was sent to take over the district again and explore the coast from 

 lat. 30 northwards. On the way out (1791-5) he explored much of Australia, 

 New Zealand, and Tahiti, returning by Cape Horn. 



