PAST, FKESENT, AND FUTURE OP THE AUSTRALIAN FLORA. 11] 



spired by his writings and labours. Dr. von Mueller, Jiow 

 Baron F. vox Mueller, commenced his career on Australian 

 territory in 1852, and first in South Australia, and subse- 

 quently in A^ictoria traversed not only all the settled dis- 

 tricts of those colonies, but also instituted many geographic 

 explorations in the Australian Alps, Avhicli at that time were 

 but little known. He likewise accompanied A. C. Gregory 

 during his expedition in tropical Australia, and at a later 

 period visited Western Australia and reported on its Forest 

 Vegetation. My eminent friend, whose career I have 

 watched for many years, may therefore, like Cunningham, be 

 regarded as an explorer, though from the time of his landing- 

 in Australia his main work has been the elaboration of 

 its flora. AVitli this view he not only made large collec- 

 tions of specimens personally, but by means of agents, either 

 paid or unpaid, in the various Australian colonies, he 

 amassed an herbarium unequalled in au}^ part of the world 

 for the number and variety of its species. Having such 

 material at his disposal, he conceived the plan of pubhshing 

 in a connected form a description of all known Australian 

 plants. Such a work was certainly much needed. No such 

 work had been attempted since the days of Brown, and 

 although according to his computation, the number of 

 Australian plants was supposed to be about 7,000, many of 

 them were but little known, or only partially described in 

 the works of various authors. Whilst the Baron was con- 

 templating the preparation of such a publication, Mr. 

 BenthaM, the great botanist of the age, had also conceived a 

 similar idea, and was actually corresponding with the late 

 W. S. M;acleay,F.R.S., on the subject. When the difficulties 

 of publishing the Flora in the colony were duly weighed — 

 especially those arising from want of access to typical 

 specimens, the notes and drawings of early botanists, 

 and the opinions of European scientists — it was agreed, 

 principally through the efforts of Mr. Macleay, that the work 

 should be published in England, and that Baron von Mueller 

 should assist in the preparation of the same. This great 

 undertaking was commenced in 1863, and the seventh 

 volume was finished in 1878, so that the Flora Australiensis 

 contains a full description of all Australian plants which 

 were known to the authors at the time of publication. 

 Since the completion of the Flora Australiensls new species 

 have been described by the Baron in his Fragmenta Phyto- 

 (jraplda Australia (of which eleven volumes have been 



