The Period of Voyages of Discovery in the South Pacific. 3 
A. RICHARD in his “Essai d’une Flore de la Nouvelle Zelande”, which included 
also the previous French collections and those of the FORSTERS. This ex- 
cellent publication, even yet of moment, is the first dealing with the flora as 
a whole. The 380 species include 211 spermophytes, 5;ı pteridophytes and 
ı18 lower cryptogams. R. CUNNINGHAM, brother of ALLAN, and Superintendent 
of the Sydney gardens, made extensive collections during 5 months of 1833 
spent near Whangaroa, the Bay of Islands and Hokianga. The material col- - 
lected by himself and his brother forms the basis of a series of papers by 
A. CUNNINGHAM published in the "Companion to the Botanical Magazine”, vol. 2, 
and continued in the "Annals and Magazine of Natural History” under the title 
“Florae Insularum Novae Zelandiae Precursor”. This important work contains 
descriptions of nearly all the then known species and includes 639, of which 
394 are spermophytes, 95 pteridophytes and 150 lower cryptogams, an in- 
crease of 259 species since RICHARD’s work. In 1839, Mr. ]J. C. BipwiILL 
visited New Zealand, penetrating to the centre of the North Island and ascend- 
ing Mt. Ngauruhoe, in the neighbourhood of which he discovered many 
typical alpine plants. Later on, he revisited the Colony and, in Nelson, added’ 
to the knowledge of the alpine floraı. From 1840—42 Dr. E. DIEFFENBACH, 
naturalist to the New Zealand Company, travelled through much of the North 
Island, ascended Mt. Egmont, and, in the South Island, spent some time on 
the coast of Marlborough. Considering his excellent opportunities, his col- 
lections were scanty. In his “Travels in New Zealand” (1843) there is some 
scattered information as to the vegetation, and one chapter deals briefly with 
the flora. He also visited Chatham Island, but only gathered ı2 species. The 
flora of Banks Peninsula was first investigated in 1840-41 by E. RAOUL, 
surgeon to the "Aube” and “Allier”, French corvettes. He discovered many new 
spermophytes and in 1844 his finely illustrated “Choix de Plantes de la Nouvelle 
-lande” appeared in which are enumerated all the then known species. i 
> The years 1839—40 mark a most important phase in the history of New 
Zealand botany, in the searching examination of the Lord Auckland and Campbell 
Islands by the botanists of the French and English Antarctic expeditions. The 
former, under Admiral D’URVILLE, anchored in Port Ross from the rı th to 
the ı2th of March ı840. Botanical collections were. made by the naturalists, 
HOMBRON and JACQUINOT, and the admiral himself. The results"were pub 
lished at intervals from 1845—54 as part of a splendid work, “Voyage au . 
Pole sud et dans l’Oceanie sur les Corvettes "’Astrolabe” et "la Zelee” ie 
les. Bea 1837 a. 1840” '). 
lish expedition, under Sir JamEs Ross, spent from Nov, zöth to. 
Dec. En at the northern end of the Lord Auckland Group, and from 
Dec. 13th to Dec. ı7th 1840 on Campbell Island. a; JosEPH HOOKER was 
