﻿Geology 
  and 
  Ndtural 
  History. 
  263 
  

  

  His 
  Handbook 
  of 
  Victorian 
  Plants 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  use 
  after 
  one 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  accustomed 
  to 
  the 
  dichotomous 
  arrangement, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  very- 
  

   helpful 
  in 
  the 
  minuteness 
  of 
  its 
  descriptions. 
  The 
  Baron 
  has 
  

   done 
  hard 
  work 
  in 
  economic 
  botany 
  as 
  applied 
  to 
  Australia 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  endeavor 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  useful 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  colonies 
  better 
  

   known 
  in 
  the 
  Old 
  World 
  and 
  in 
  America. 
  As 
  everybody 
  knows, 
  

   such 
  work 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  thankless 
  and 
  ungracious 
  task, 
  for 
  the 
  

   mistakes 
  and 
  failures 
  in 
  the 
  introductions 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  outnumber 
  

   the 
  successes. 
  In 
  everything 
  concerning 
  the 
  advancement 
  of 
  the 
  

   colonies, 
  Baron 
  Mueller 
  has 
  taken 
  a 
  hearty 
  interest 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  

   every 
  way 
  identified 
  with 
  his 
  adopted 
  home. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  incipient 
  economic 
  Museum 
  at 
  the 
  Botanic 
  Garden 
  

   and 
  the 
  large 
  collections 
  under 
  the 
  charge 
  of 
  Baron 
  Mueller 
  

   there 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  botanical 
  department 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   Melbourne 
  Museum. 
  This 
  is 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  

   Cosmo 
  Newbery, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  re-arranged 
  previous 
  to 
  its 
  

   final 
  disposition 
  in 
  the 
  new 
  Museum 
  building. 
  The 
  specimens 
  

   which 
  illustrate 
  the 
  cereals 
  and 
  their 
  products 
  were 
  nearly 
  ar- 
  

   ranged 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  visit 
  and 
  indicated 
  that 
  the 
  new 
  system 
  

   would 
  be 
  successful 
  from 
  an 
  educational 
  point 
  of 
  view. 
  

  

  The 
  environs 
  of 
  Melbourne 
  include 
  many 
  municipalities 
  which 
  

   are 
  commonly 
  counted 
  in 
  with 
  Melbourne 
  proper, 
  when 
  the 
  city 
  

   is 
  compared 
  with 
  its 
  sister 
  cities. 
  Passing 
  outside 
  the 
  circle 
  of 
  

   associated 
  communities, 
  the 
  botanist 
  comes 
  upon 
  very 
  instructive 
  

   botanical 
  ground. 
  One 
  does 
  not 
  have 
  far 
  to 
  go 
  by 
  rail 
  to 
  stand 
  

   before 
  the 
  giant 
  specimens 
  of 
  Eucalyptus, 
  and 
  by 
  boat 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  queer 
  Australian 
  plants, 
  like 
  Epacris 
  and 
  so 
  on, 
  

   growing 
  wild. 
  

  

  Sydney. 
  — 
  The 
  third 
  great 
  Australian 
  Garden 
  is 
  in 
  New 
  South 
  

   Wales, 
  about 
  six 
  hundred 
  miles 
  from 
  Melbourne, 
  Victoria. 
  For 
  

   beauty 
  of 
  situation 
  it 
  stands 
  without 
  a 
  rival. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  com- 
  

   manding 
  position 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  harbor, 
  and 
  possesses 
  

   remarkable 
  elements 
  for 
  landscape 
  treatment. 
  

  

  The 
  harbor 
  of 
  Sydney 
  (Port 
  Jackson) 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  cele- 
  

   brated 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  usually 
  being 
  associated 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  Rio 
  de 
  

   Janeiro, 
  as 
  the 
  finest 
  in 
  existence. 
  Like 
  outstretched 
  divergent 
  

   fingers, 
  promontories 
  extend 
  into 
  this 
  charming 
  sheet 
  of 
  water. 
  On 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  Botanic 
  Gardens, 
  covering 
  

   about 
  forty 
  acres, 
  have 
  been 
  established. 
  As 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  expected, 
  

   the 
  representation 
  of 
  native 
  plants 
  is 
  somewhat 
  different 
  from 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  gardens, 
  owing 
  to 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  climate. 
  In 
  

   certain 
  directions, 
  for 
  instance, 
  palms 
  from 
  the 
  smaller 
  islands 
  of 
  

   the 
  Polynesian 
  archipelago, 
  the 
  garden 
  is 
  exceptionally 
  rich. 
  

   The 
  specimens 
  are 
  numerous 
  and 
  well 
  grown. 
  A 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  

   attention 
  has 
  been 
  paid 
  also 
  to 
  economic 
  plants. 
  The 
  most 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  photographs 
  which 
  I 
  could 
  secure 
  were 
  (l) 
  Individual 
  

   plants 
  ; 
  (2) 
  the 
  Palms 
  of 
  Lord 
  Howe's 
  Island, 
  etc. 
  ; 
  (3) 
  the 
  

   general 
  view 
  from 
  the 
  brow 
  of 
  the 
  hill. 
  To 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Moore, 
  

   the 
  director, 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  for 
  many 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  garden, 
  taken 
  

   some 
  time 
  since. 
  The 
  collection 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  now 
  at 
  Cambridge 
  

   Am. 
  Jouk. 
  Sci.— 
  Third 
  Series, 
  Yol. 
  XLII, 
  No. 
  249.— 
  Sept., 
  1891. 
  

   18 
  

  

  