264 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



AUSTRALIA. 



With the exception of touching at Batavia, Dr. Harvey's 

 further voyage afforded little variety. Ou the 6th of January, 

 1854, Cape Entrecasteaux came in sight, and he landed next 

 day at Albany, on Princess Royal Harbour, King George's 

 Sound. 



To begin with the first impressions of what he calls this 

 topsy-turvy country ; after having had an exploring walk in the 

 neighbourhood of Albany, he writes : " The vegetation here has 

 quite the appearance of that at the Cape ; the same small 

 shrubs and dry-looking trees of Proteacece, though they are 

 both generically and specifically different. BanJcsias, Dnjandras, 

 Habeas, Franklandia, etc., are common. About the town some 

 Cape shrubs and geraniums are completely naturalized. At 

 present the prevailing hues of the flowers are white and yellow. 

 I am told that a month ago, blue, red, and purple were the 

 most common, and that the whole of the country was one 

 mass of bloom. The oddest things are the rush-trees, like mops 

 with thick black handles, ten to twenty feet high. Imagine 

 these strange objects scattered over the country, sometimes 

 very thickly. The trunks are always black, from the fires which 

 are constantly lighted by the aborigines, and which sweep over 

 the country for miles. The boggy spots have in abundance 

 the curious pitcher-plant (Cephahtus), with a cluster of beautiful 

 cup-shaped leaves, each with its lid, at the crown of the root ; 

 no stem, but a slender stalk bearing a few small flowers at the 

 top. It is only known at this spot, and is ' one of the lions.' 

 It was shown to me before I was an hour on shore." 



January 10th. There are many natives to be seen here, w r ho 

 live in the bush about the town in such " cobby-houses " as we 

 used to build when we were children. Here six or eight will sit 



