CXX11 FLORA OF TASMANIA. {Progress of Australian 



mitted to Sir W. Hooker. Mr. Roe started from Cape Riche, and proceeded north-east to the 

 Bremer Range, lat. 32° 35' S., long. 120° 30' E., and then south-east to Russell Range, whence he 

 returned parallel to the south coast. The narrative of this journey, which contains much botanical 

 information, was published in the ' Kew Journal of Botany/ vol. vi. 



Dr. Ferdinand Mueller's extensive journeys and important labours come next under review. 

 They extend already over a period of ten years of uninterrupted exertion in travelling, or collecting 

 and describing, often under circumstances of great hardship and difficulty, and are of very great 

 merit and importance. 



Dr. Mueller first resided at Adelaide,* whence he removed to Melbourne, and was appointed 

 Colonial Botanist at Victoria. In 1853 he visited the Fuller's Range, Mayday Hills, the Buffalo 

 Ranges, Mounts Aberdeen and Buller, and the Yarra Ranges, whence he descended to the coasts 

 of Gipps Land, and returned to Melbourne by Port Albert and Wilson's Promontory. In this 

 journey he traversed 1,500 miles, and collected nearly 1,000 species of plants. This journey is noticed 

 in his ' First General Report,' which contains a Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of 

 Victoria. 



In 1854, Dr. Mueller visited more of the mountains of the colony, and explored many of the 

 most difficult regions of South Australia; he also visited Lake Albert, the Murray Lagoons, the 

 Cobboras Mountains, the Snowy and Buchan rivers, and the Grampian and Victoria ranges. During 

 this expedition about 2,500 miles were traversed, and upwards of 500 additional plants collected. 

 These are enumerated in Dr. Mueller's ' Second Report,' in which the catalogue of Victoria plants is 

 raised to 1,500 species. 



In 1854-5, Dr. Mueller again visited the Australian alps, traversed the Avon Ranges, ascended 

 Mount Wellington, crossed the Snowy Plains, reached the Bogong Range, and measured Mounts 

 Hotham and Latrobe (7,000 feet), the loftiest in the Australian continent. Thence he proceeded to 

 the Munyang Mountains, and afterwards to the south-east coast, when he returned to Victoria. The 

 account of this journey is published in Dr. Mueller's ' Third Report,' wherein the Victoria Flora is 

 raised to 2,500 species, including CryptogamitB, 1,700 being flowering plants. t 



In the intervals between these journeys Dr. Mueller has been incessantly employed in the duties 

 of the Botanic Garden, in arranging and distributing his herbaria, and in publishing their novelties. 



In 1S55, Dr. Mueller accompanied Mr. Gregory in his celebrated expedition across northern 

 Australia. Mr. Gregory's party left Sydney in a schooner, carrying their horses and all material 

 with them. On the voyage out, Dr. Mueller collected on several islands off the east and north coasts 

 of Australia, and landed with the party at the mouth of the Victoria River, in north-western Australia, 

 in September. The river was ascended, and the country to the south explored to the limits of the 

 Great Desert in lat. 18° 20' S., long. 127° 30' E. From the Victoria River they traversed Arnheim's 

 Land, and keeping within a hundred miles of the sea, reached the mouth of the Albert, in the Gulf of 

 Carpentaria, on the 30th August. Not meeting there with the expected supplies, Mr. Gregory and 

 his party proceeded eastward, parallel to the coast, to the Gilbert River ; thence they travelled south- 

 east, crossed the head of the Lynd, reached the Burdekin, followed it to the Suttor, and the Suttor 

 to the Beylando, the Mackenzie, and the Dawson rivers, where they reached the first settlers' station 

 on the 22nd November, and from thence proceeded to Brisbane and Sydney, which was reached 

 without the loss of a member of the overland Expedition. 



* A sketch of the vegetation of a part of this colony, viz. of the districts surrounding Lake Torrens, by Dr. 

 Mueller, will be found in the ' Kew Journal of Botany,' vol. v. p. 105. 



