272 
At Singapore, Malacca, &c. 
Poiret seems to have fallen into an error 
in describing the urns of this species as 
having smooth margins (Ency. Méth. I. 
p. 459.), I have never met with any that 
were not striated, though they are less re- 
markably so than in the other species. 
Bencoolen, August, 1820. 
Se ee TOWARDS A 
FLORA VAN DIEMEN’S 
LAND 
From Collections sent by R. W. Lawrence, Ronald 
unn, and Thomas Scott, Esqrs. 
( Continued from p. 258 of the Journal of Botany.) 
In the Journal above mentioned, I spoke 
with peculiar satisfaction of two gentlemen, 
resident in Van Diemen's Land, R. W. 
Lawrence, and Ronald Gunn, Esqrs., who 
were devoting their leisure time most zea- 
ously towards obtaining a knowledge of the 
National History, and especially of the Bo- 
` tany of that distant and most interesting 
portion of Australia; and I also prefaced 
the first memoir which I published on their 
discoveries, with an account of an excur- 
sion made to the Western Mountains of Van 
Diemen's Land bythe latter of these gen- 
tlemen. Little did I think that at the very 
time I was preparing his MSS. for the 
press, not only himself, at the early age of 
twenty-six, but his wife, were both, in the 
short space ofa for tnight, suddenly removed 
from all sublunary enjoyments. The intel- 
ligence was communicated to me in the 
following extract of a letter from Mr. R. 
Gunn, bearing date **Launceston, Van 
Diemen's Land, November 15, 1833. 
“ Tt is with feelings of the deepest regret 
I have to communicate to you the death of 
our mutual friend, Mr. R. W. Lawrence. 
This melancholy event took place at For- 
mosa, on the night of the 18th October last, 
the day on which he had attained his twen- 
Aen year, and the first anniversary day 
Leslie eed a young and highly 
CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS A FLORA OF VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. 
belonging to the Orders already treated 0 
to enjoy in this world; and on 2nd Sept. 
last, I left them, after a short visit, bothin 
the enjoyment of excellent health; next 
day Mrs. Lawrence was safely delivered of 
a daughter, but from delicacy of constitu- 
tion, or too sudden an exposure after her 
confinement, she was in a few days seized. 
with a fever which terminated fatally with- 
in a month—fatally to Lawrence's happi- . i 
nessand peace. After her funeral I brought 
him into town with me, and amused him 
in various ways, and he spoke with great 
pleasure of the satisfaction you had ex- 
pressed in your last letter, relative to his 
collections, and your intention of publish- 
ing them. On 8th October, I accompanied 
him some miles out of town on his return, 
and many arrangements for the future were 
made; butin a few days after, he was found 
apparently sleeping in his bed, having been 
carried off in a fit of apoplexy. Within 
one fortnight he and his wife were buried! j 
You must excuse my enlarging upon this 
melancholy subject :—I was, I may almost 
say, his only friend on earth, and we were 
brothers to each other—our pursuits and 
feelings alike; and it will be long ere I- 
shall be able to fill the blank his death has 
made. I owe much to his memory, as he 
led me to commence the study of Botany, 
in which I have spent many happy hours, _ 
and yet look forward to years of pleasure 
in the same pursuit. His loss to you will 
also be most severe, as he was years a-head 
of me, in experience, both of Botany and > 
the localities of the plants of Van Diemen’s 
Land. I can only, however, promise to do 
all I can, and trust time will improve me.” 
As much as possible, Mr. Gunn has exe 
erted himself to fill up the loss occasioned a 
by the death of his lamented friend ; 
the close of the last year brought me an- 
other beautiful and extensive collection 
Pe WES XG f ix 
from him, an dime of which, om x 
Or ©. lOusiy 
e previ 
it will be no less my pleasure than my duty r 
to lay before the public. The present col- — 
lection contains some additional species, 
in the Journal above quoted, together with 
others, which have enabled me to « er 
l 
