78 
The Queensland Naturalist July, 1940 
THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE BRISBANE 
BOTANIC GARDENS. 
Sir Thomas Brisbane, when Governor of New South 
Wales, recommended in 1824 that a Botanic Gardens 
should be laid out at Brisbane, but it was not until Thomas 
Brisbane had left Australia and Governor Darling had 
taken his place that this was given effect to. Charles 
Frazer, Colonial Botanist of New South Wales, was sent 
to Brisbane to carry out the plan, and to collect speci- 
mens on the Brisbane River and in - the surrounding 
country. 
The lecturer then gave a brief account of some of 
the more interesting of Frazer’s findings. The exact area 
of the Gardens then, is not now known. From 1828 to 
1855 the Gardens mainly served for the growing of vege- 
tables and fruit for the convicts and military garrison. 
The Gardens at present understood really began with 
the appointment of Mr. Walter Hill, as Curator in 1855, 
a position he retained until 1881. Unfortunately, all the 
early records of the Gardens were lost when the Curator’s 
cottage was destroyed in 1893 by flood. 
Exhibits of interest were displayed by: — Mrs. 
Williams, Plant of Momordiea Chorantia and photographs 
of early Brisbane; by Mr. J. E. Young, specimens of 
Stenocarpus sinuatus, Wheel of Fire, Dendrobium super - 
liens, Dendrobium phalaenopsis , two beautiful orchids of 
North Queensland, and scales from a Queensland Lung 
Fish, Ceratodus Forsteri ; by G. K. Jackson, a Root Chop- 
per from Redbank ; by Miss Williamson, Berries from 
Nuninbah (Cordyline, Callicarpa and Ancana) ; by Mr. 
G. H. Barker a book, “Our Country’s Butterflies,” by W. 
J. Gordon, containing numerous coloured plates ; and by 
Miss Holland, a nest of one of the larger Tloneyeaters. 
ANNUAL REPORT. 
The Council of the Queensland Naturalists’ Club sub- 
mits the 34th Annual Report of the work of the Club. 
Meetings. — Ten monthly meetings, twelve field 
excursions and ten Council meetings have been held. 
Attendance at Council meetings have been as follows: 
Mr. G. L. Jackson, 10; Mr. II. E. Young, 5; Mr. S. T. 
Blake, 9; Dr. D. A. Herbert, 2; Miss E. E. Baird, 10; 
Miss Clarke, 10; Mrs. Jackson, 4; Dr. E. 0. Marks, 8; 
Mr. G. II. Barker, 8; Mr. N. Jack, 7; Mr. J. E. Young, 
7 ; Mr. W. J. Sanderson, 6 ; Dr. W. H. Bryan, 2. 
