RECORDS of the EARLIER FRKXCH IJOTANISTS 



as REGARDS AUSTRALIAN PLANTS. 



By J. H. Maiden, 



Government Botanist of New South Wales and Director of the 

 Botanic Gardens, Sydney; Diplome' (grande medaille) de la 

 Societe Nationale d'Aerlimatan'on de France; Mend ire Cor- 

 respondant de la Societe National*- <les Sciences Naturelles et 

 Matheinatiques de Cherbourg; de la Societe d'Horticulture 

 d Alger, et de 1' Union Agricole CaU'donienne, Noumea. 

 [With Plates IN XV .. 

 [Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, July (5, 2.970.] 

 "Great geniuses have the shortest l>ii ^rapines. Their enusins 

 can tell you nothing of them. They lived in their work, so their 

 house and street life was trivial and < •.miinonplace. Plato, especi 

 ally, had noexternal biography. If he had lover, wife or children. 

 we hear nothing of them."— Emerson. 



In the early days of Australian settlement the French 

 Expeditions which arrived in Australasian seas rank next 

 in importance to the British. Between the years 1791 

 and 1840 no less than seven expeditions of circumnaviga- 

 tion were despatched to these shores, or to the adjacent 

 seas, by the French Government, and the scientific staff of 

 each included one or more botanists or at least a botanical 

 collector, while the publications of each expedition include 

 an account, always enriched by valuable plates, of the 

 plants discovered. 



Sir J. D. Hooker 1 gave an admin 

 and other expeditions to our short 



