Explorations of Australia. 153 



" As every other part of Australia which I have yet examined 

 shews distinct evidence of having been submerged at the period 

 when these beaches were formed, it would be highly interesting 

 to investigate, how far the remarkable prevalence of forms pecu- 

 liarly Australian, in the flora of this portion of the continent 

 may be connected with the fact of these hills having been 

 islands during the period when the inundation of the greater 

 portion of Australia must have destroyed the ancient vegetation 

 of the country." 



The flora of the South West Australia is more replete with 

 quite endemic forms than that of any other portion of the globe, 

 and its vegetation is more universally restricted to locality than 

 that of any country hitherto examined. This fact quite un- 

 important as it may appear, deserves a serious consideration in 

 any theory on the interior. The question arises, is it likely that 

 many mountains exist eastward of and similar to those of West 

 Australia. (See Plate.) 



If so I think the plants destroyed by any great deluge, would 

 have re-descended from such elevations, allotting thus a wider 

 range to the species than they are known to possess. 



To Count Strzelecki is due the credit of having ascended 

 and measured for the first time (in 1840) many of the principal 

 north east mountains of our Alps. As his account of some of 

 the elevations stands in discrepancy to those measurements in- 

 stituted in 1852 by the Eev. Mr. Clark, I draw attention to the 

 following scale of Alpine heights kindly furnished for this 

 paper by the rev. gentleman. Mount Kosciusko 7308', second 

 height of the Munyang Mountains 7064', Rams Head 6838', 

 Bagong mountains at the sources of the Tumut River 6763', 

 Bald Hill at the head of the Gungarlin River (tributary of the 

 Snowy River) 5337', Marragurall or Mount Murray (head of 

 the Murrumbidgee) 6987' Tollula (head of the Murrumbidgee) 

 6934', Mount Gungarlin (Head of the Gungarlin River) 5337', 

 Crakenback Hill 4697'. Other alpine mountains, near the 

 sources of the Hastings have been measured by a member of 

 this Institute, Mr. Clement Hodgkinson. Accompanied by Messrs. 

 Riley and Macarthur, the Count completed the discovery of Gipps 

 Land, into which my enterprising friend Mr. Angus M'Millan had 

 led the way before. The whole of the watercourses east and north 

 of the LaTrobe River had been crossed and named by M'Millan 

 (in his advance to the coast from Lake Omeo in search of a 

 southern harbour, whilst the first overland journey was accom- 

 plished by Strzelecki from Gipps Land into Western Port, and this 

 not without the severest trials, the party abandoning their horses 



