xliv Presidenfs Addre.^s. [July 28, 



opportunities of getting a good knowledge of plants, and applied 

 himself steadily to the botany of his own neighbourhood. With a 

 view of making himself acquainted with something beyond the flora 

 of Europe he proceeded in October, 1823, to the Cape as an assistant 

 apothecary to Polemann, in Strand-street, a dilettante botanist, the 

 companion of Burchell's rambles about the Cape Peninsula. He 

 remained in this employment for four years, employing all his leisure 

 in exploring the flora of Table Mountain and the vicinity of Cape 

 Town His enthusiasm carried him so far as to cause him to give 

 up his situation and rely for support upon the precarious sale of col- 

 lections of objects of natural history, especially botanical specimens. 

 In 1827 he sent to Europe a large mass of collected material, to be 

 made up into sets and sold to the subscribers to the Unio Itineraria, 

 a kind of botanical exchange club, managed at Esslingen bj' Drs. 

 Hochstetter and Steudel. Next year he sailed for Europe with a 

 further supply of exsiccata, and these, like the former ones, were 

 mostly distributed by the Unio. Both these collections are readily 

 recognisable by their small printed tickets, the earlier set having the 

 letters UJ (Unio Itineraria) upon them. The directors of the Unio 

 published for Ecklon a topographic catalogue of the Liliacepo and 

 Iridea3, and apparently intended to issue farther lists, for this little 

 opuscule is described as " Ister Lieferung." In the preface the author 

 . acknowledges his obligations to Advocate Joubert, who allowed him 

 to use a portion of his garden, near Platteklip (now occupied by IMr. 

 Galloway), as a nursery for tbe bulbous plants which he brought in 

 from the country. A plan of this earliest of Cape Botanical Gardens 

 is appended to the tract. Many excellent botanists set themselves to 

 study out the rich material supplied by Ecklon. Among these were 

 Nees ab Esenbeck, Bartling, Lessing, and Schlechtendahl, whose 

 memoirs appeared in the seventh and successive volumes of the 

 Linnrea. Professor Hornemann, of Copenhagen, Dr. Peinhardt, and 

 Dr. Nolte interested themselves in Ecklon' s favour, and by their 

 means a small pension was granted to him by the King of Denmark. 

 With this encouragement, and Avith the patronage of the Unio 

 assured, he returned to the Cape about 1829, and again commeiK-ed 

 collecting with fresh energy, going over the Cape Peninsula and the 

 neighbouring districts, and even venturing upon what was tlien a 

 somewhat risky journey into the so-called "Ceded Territory." It 

 was at this period that he formed a botanical partnership with Karl 

 Zeyher, to unite their collections and correlate their mutual herbor- 

 ising excursions, so as to cover more ground. Under this agreement 

 Zeyher went alone to Clanwilliam, the Olifants Eiver, and the Cedar- 

 bergen. Erom these mountains he started for Namaqualand and 

 tlie Khamiesberg, pushing on to the valle}' of the Orange Eiver. In 

 returning liomewards he suffered mucli from want of water, and lost 

 nmny of his travelling oxen. Among the rare pLants brouglit back 

 were Ilydnora and Ccdon licijeui, not gathered since Tliunberg's tinu\ 

 AVhile Zeyher was tlius em])loyed, Ecklon had gone by sea to Algoa 

 l)ay, and ])otanised over the districts of Uitenhage. Albany, and wliat 

 was tlicn known as Kaiirland, as far as the Winterhoek. Poturning 

 to Capo Town, via Port Elizal)eth, lie commenced ordinating his spoils, 

 making also occasional excursicms, in one of which lie fell in witli liis 

 partner Zeylier, returning from liis luckless expedition to Namaqua- 

 land. In company they ascended the Tul])agh Winterlioek, finding 



