REPOET OE THE GOVERNMENT BOTANIST, 
Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, 
5 th October, 1854. 
Sir, 
In obedience to instructions Irom His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, I do 
myself the honor of transmitting to you the Second Annual Report on the progress of my 
botanical researches. 
Requested by the Government in October, 1853, to examine the vegetation of the 
Grampians and of the adjacent ranges, and to visit afterwards such districts as I deemed 
most advisable to explore, I commenced my journey, in accordance with these instructions, 
on the 1st of November, 1853. 
The low land between Melbourne and Mount Sturgeon offered but very few novelties 
to the collections formed during the previous season, but in the Grampians, the Serra, and 
the Victoria Ranges, I had an opportunity, by ascending the most prominent heights, to 
increase considerably the series of plants already discovered in these localities by Sir Thomas 
Mitchell during his exploration of this country. Many of these plants belong not only 
exclusively to this Colony, although interspersed with such as inhabit the mountains of New 
South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, and South Australia, but are even in some instances 
restricted to solitary heights, an observation confirmed by similar instances of isolation of 
certain species occurring at the Table Mount of the Cape of Good Hope, in the mountains of 
North America, and other parts of the globe. The subalpine summit of Mount William 
proved in this respect to be exceedingly interesting. I was informed that these mountains 
contain malachite, and, judging from their similarity to the Mount Lofty and Barossa 
Ranges of South Australia, in which several copper mines have been opened, I feel convinced 
of the correctness of this statement. 
The early heat and the consequent scantiness of water during the last spring, 
rendered it impossible, in proceeding from the Grampians to the Murray, to pursue a more 
westerly course than along the Avoca ; but to obtain the advantage of observing the gradual 
change of the Mallee vegetation from south to north, I bore away westerly to Lake Lalbert, 
and thence reached the Murray in the beginning of December. Following partially the 
course of this river and partially the tracks through the desert, I travelled as far westerly as 
the junction of the Darling. ' During this excursion it was surprising to me to observe in the 
north-western parts of the Colony a remarkable accumulation not only of those plants 
formerly observed along the Lower Murray, but also numerous species from the steppes 
around Lake Torrens, which I had but recently commenced disclosing to botanical science, 
and/it appears therefore that the subtropical Desert Flora terminates only in this latitude. 
Besides several hitherto unknown plants, descending along the Darling and Murrumbidgee 
from the north-east into our Colony, others even reappeared here from the west coast of 
Australia, so that for these reasons the materials for the Flora of Victoria became at this 
time considerably augmented, more particularly in the natural orders of Composite and 
Salsolacese, The saltplants here alluded to contribute largely to render these desolate places 
fit and often preferable for sheep pastures. The following useful plants Irom these localities 
are entitled to particular notice: — Myoporum platycarpum, a graceful tiee, exuding a 
