204 ON THE FIBRE PLANTS OF N. S. WALES. 



the left by coming to the brink of a deep precipice, which we were 

 unable to descend. I am inclined to think that this is the continua- 

 tion of the watercourse we were unable to follow up, for although 

 we could not hear the sound of water running, still, on throwing 

 down stones it was evident by the splash that there was a deep 

 pool of water. It may, however, be a succession of other caves. 



On following out these chambers to the right we were conducted 

 to a cavern of enormous extent, far larger than the " Church," 

 and from a small opening in a distant corner daylight was seen. 

 We had a magnificent view of this cavern by means of the blue 

 lights, and from what I saw from the distance, I was inclined to 

 believe that this cavern we were looking into was the cave we had 

 visited from the Fig-tree opening, and that, in fact, we were stand- 

 ing beneath the precipice which obstructed our course to the left. 



One peculiarity in this cave is, that the floor of it in some 

 parts is so deeply covered with the peculiar dark powder before 

 mentioned, as literally to prevent your being able to wade 

 through it. 



On the Fibre Plants of New South Wales, 

 By CHARGES MOORE, ESQ. 



[Read 5th October, 1864.] 



THE character of the vegetation of this Colony, in many 

 respects so remarkable, is, as regards its economic value, but 

 little understood. From it neither commerce, science, nor the 

 arts have as yet been benefited to any appreciable extent. With 

 the exception of a few trees, the timber of which is used for 

 building and fencing purposes, scarcely any importance has been 

 attached to any qualities of our indigenous plants, many of which 

 I feel convinced contain valuable properties which only require 

 to be made known. It was generally expected that the vegetable 

 products sent from this Colony to the Paris and London Great 



