148 An Historical Review of the 



have great pleasure in presenting to the members two specimens 

 of the young for their Museum. 



I am indebted to my friend Mr. Ellery, for the present 

 opportunity of presenting the Institute with specimens of 

 the young, and also for the facts in connection with this 

 paper. 



Aet. XIX. — An Historical Review of the Explorations of 

 Australia. By Dr. Ferdinand Mueller. 



WITH TWO PLATES. 



[Read before the Institute, 25th November, 1857.] 



If additions to the geographical knowledge of the globe in 

 every age and in every country elicit the deepest interest, how 

 much greater claims have the exertions of our own explorers on 

 the citizens of Australia. 



If a traveller's progress through a country, densely occupied by 

 native races, domiciled and more or less advanced in industry, is 

 still watched with pleasure or anxiety, even should he gain no 

 space for widening the dominions of the Anglo-Saxon race, of 

 how much more importance is any new information then on 

 that country, which we adopt as our home, and which sup- 

 ports, notwithstanding its almost equal size to that of Europe 

 less inhabitants than many of the capitals of European states ? 

 And if the wandering through the low and humid regions of an 

 equinoctial zone, through regions little qualified for the lengthened 

 exercise of our physical strength, still insures the interest of all, 

 how much more deserves our enquiry into the nature of a 

 country which is well adapted for the exercise of our labour, all 

 the sympathy of a young and onstruggling nation ? 



Our desire to unveil the remaining unknown portions of 

 Australia is not limited at this moment by demands on our 

 patriotism or our progress alone ; its future exploration is 

 likewise claimed by our humanity, and by our honour as a 

 nation. 



With the discovery of gold a new epoch commenced in our 

 history ; and whilst in former days a wider occupation of pasture- 

 ground was rendered by the increased transit distance to the 

 coast, often hardly remunerative, we find now that the daily influx 

 to our agricultural and mining popidation renders such exten- 

 sion quite imperative. Again by CadeLVs enterprise, judiciously 



