HORTUS VEITCHII 



landing left for the Fiji Islands, having an offer to sail in 

 H.M. cruising schooner Renard. 



Several months were spent in visiting the various islands of 

 the Fiji group and in collecting plants. 



In February 1876 a trading vessel having called at Fiji, 

 P. C. M. Veitch secured a passage and proceeded to the South 

 Sea Islands, where he remained until the following September. 

 The whole of the collection of plants made in the Fiji Islands 

 was lost in a gale, but that from the South Sea Islands was 

 despatched to England in 1877. 



From September to December 1876 excursions were made 

 to various parts of the Australian Colonies, and useful plants 

 found in cultivation in gardens sent home, amongst these 

 Lomaria discolor, L. bipinnatifida and Microlepia hirta 

 cristata. 



During the early part of the year 1877 a visit was made 

 to New Zealand, and a special journey to Mount Cook, 

 where seeds of the beautiful Ranunculus Lyalli (or, as it 

 is more commonly called in New Zealand, Mountain Lily 

 or Rookwood Lily) were gathered and sent to Chelsea, 

 from which plants were raised and flowered. From other 

 parts of New Zealand several species of Celmisia, Vero- 

 nica and the beautiful and somewhat difficult Notospartium 

 CarmichaeliaB were introduced. 



In June 1877 P. C. M. Veitch again visited Australia, but 

 in August, as he was making his way to New Guinea, had 

 the misfortune to be shipwrecked off the north coast of 

 Australia, and for a second time the collections were lost 



Instructed to join F. W. Burbidge, plant-collecting for us 

 in Borneo, he started for that 'country, stopping in Penang, 

 Sumatra and Singapore en route, and arriving at Labuan in 



November 1877. 



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