Botanical Discovery.} INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. e\\i 
ray, and Murrumbidgee rivers high up in their course, and reaching Ooulburn in New South Wales 
in the following November. In this very extraordinary journey Mitchell was accompanied by a good 
plant-collector named Richardson, and the collections were brought safe and in good condition to 
Sydney, and sent to Dr. Lindley, by whom many have been described. 
The narratives of the three journeys were published in two volumes, Svo ; they abound in useful 
and instructive information to the geographer, and especially to the naturalist. Dr. Lindley 's de- 
scriptions are appended as notes to the pages of the volume, and render it a most important work to 
the botanist. 
Mitchell's fourth Expedition was to subtropical Australia, and was undertaken in the- hope of 
discovering a river flowing into the Gulf of Carpentaria, which would take much of the Australian 
produce to the sea without passing through Torres Straits. Very fine collections were made in this 
journey, chiefly amongst a group of mountains 2-3,000 feet high, discovered in lat. 25° S. and long. 
147° E. The plants were given to Dr. Lindley and Sir YY. Hooker, by whom descriptions were 
drawn up and appended to the narrative of the journey, which was published in 18 IK * Like Mit- 
chell's other works, this contains excellent landscapes from sketches made by himself, which give 
faithful as well as artistically good views of the vegetation lie describes, and render his works as 
attractive as they are useful to the naturalist. 
In ISM the lamented Dr. Ludwig Leichardt, after spending several years in New South Wales, 
started on his adventurous journey from Moreton Hay to Port Kssmgton. Tins Lvpedition originated 
in private enterprise, but it was promoted by a pablk fubsCTlption in the colony, and I have hence 
classed it amongst the Colonial enterprises. Starting from Moreton Hay. he proceeded north-wot to 
the Gulf of Carpentaria, coasted its head, and travelled northwards through Arnhcim's Land to i'ort 
Essington, which he reached after a journey of a year and two months. 
The narrative of Dr. Leichardt, who appears to have had a very considerable knowledge of botany, 
contains as much Botany as Geography, and is by far the fullest published detailed account of the 
tropical vegetation of the interior of Australia that we possess. 
In December 1846, Dr. Leichardt started from Sydney with the view of crossing Australia from 
Moreton Bay to Swan River, a journey which he calculated would occupy two years and a half. 
Since his departure, however, from a point on his previous journey, a little to the north-west of 
Moreton Bay, nothing has been heard of this accomplished man and adventurous explorer. 
Dr. Leichardt's collections became, I believe, the property of his friend the late Mr. Lind, bar- 
rack-master in Sydney, and were eventually sold.f 
In 1840, Captain Eyre's perilous journey from Adelaide to the Swan River proved the utter 
sterility of the waterless coast which he traversed. Between the m e r k h a iM <»t Streaky Hay and 
Lucky Bay there appears to be scarcely any vegetation at all, except on the outlying islands, on some 
of which Brown had botanized when in Flinders' voyage, and on which he appears to have found very 
little. At the meridian of 118° again the peculiar vegetation of south-western Australia commences, 
as we know from Mr. Roe's explorations, which next come under review, 
In 1848 a journey of discovery into the interior of south-western Australia was undertaken by 
J. S. Roe, Esq., Surveyor-General, during which excellent collections of plants were made and trans- 
* An abstract of this journey was also communicated to the 'London Journal of Botany ' (vol. vi. p. 364) by 
R. Heward, Esq. 
f Some further information regarding Dr. Leichardt's expeditions will be found in the ' London Journal of 
Botany,' vols. iv„ v., vi., and vii., communicated by P. B. Webb, Esq., and E, Heward, Esq. 
