6 
this summer on our shores, and from whose long experience and extensive knowledge we 
may expect the most perfect elucidation of our Marine Flora. 
The general proportions of Dicotyledonous plants to Monocotyledonese remain, by 
the additional species of this year, materially unaltered, namely, about 7 to 2, as formerly 
stated, with regard to the southern and south-eastern parts of the Colony ; although, by a 
decrease of Monocotyledonese in the north-western desert, an approach is perceptible there 
to that relation which these divisions of tho vegetable kingdom bear to each other in Western 
Australia and in the sub-tropical part of South Australia. The series, however, of natural 
orders, with reference to their greatest number of species, received considerable alteration by 
the large increase of the Composite and several other orders in the desert tracts, and by 
the disappearance again, at various places, of other groups which predominated in the south. 
But as nearly all the main localities have now been traversed, the series of the most prevail- 
ing natural orders may be at this time considered fixed for the whole Colony in the following 
arrangement, if vre omit, as not yet sufficiently examined, the lower Acotyledoneae, 
namely : Composite, Lcgurainosm, Gramineae, Myrtacese, Cyperoideae, Salsolacete, Proteacem, 
Filices, Orchidem, Epacrideae, Diosmeae, Umbelliferte, Liliacem, Labiatm, Cruciform 
Goodeniaceae, Scrophularinae, Euphorbiaceae. 
Probably the descriptions of the new plants discovered last season will receive an 
abridged publication in the Transactions of the Philosophical Society or of the Melbourne 
Institute. Manuscripts have also been periodically transmitted to Sir William Hooker for 
his journal, accompanied by corresponding specimens. All these scattered notes will be 
hereafter collected in a popular form for a Flora of Victoria. 
Seeds ol the indigenous plants have been collected during my journey, as far as 
season and opportunity permitted, not only for our own establishment, but have been also 
distributed, to the amount of nearly 2000 lots, to the Koyal Gardens at Kew, the Botanical 
Gardens of Hobart down, Sydney, Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Calcutta, &c. 
I beg to conclude these remarks with a few observations on the utility of such of our 
vegetable productions as were not alluded to in my last report. 
The woods stand in this regard prominent in importance. The Blue Gum tree of Van 
Diemen’s Land (Eucalyptus globulus) is found abundantly in some of the forest districts, 
principally of the south, and is already so well known for its colossal size, as to render it 
superfluous to quote the statements made of its vast dimensions. Of the circumference of the 
stem instances are on record by which this tree ranks only second to the famous Boabob from 
the Senegal. The experiments instituted in Van Diemen’s Land have shown “ that its elas- 
ticity and strength exceed generally those of all woods hitherto tested “ it is equal in 
durability to oak and superior to it in size and therefore highly esteemed for ship building. 
Other Eucalypti likewise deserve attention, on account of the beauty and durability of their 
wood, in consequence of which qualities one of them from the south-eastern frontiers received 
there the name of the Mahogany tree. The wood of Callistemon salignus, although seldom 
ot considerable size, stands here, perhaps, unrivalled for hardness. The fragrant Myall 
wood, so well adapted for subtile ornamental work, is obtained from Acacia homalophylla, 
and some allied species in the Mallee desert. The well-known Blackwood (Acacia me- 
anoxylon), in some localities called Lightwood, attains in the Fern-tree gullies an enormous 
size an yields a splendid material for furniture, at once most substantial and capable of a 
lg po is , being also recommended for the finishing work of vessels. The Myrtle tree of 
ea ei s ove and the Snowy River (Acrnena floribunda) is also remarkable for its straight 
growth and Us excellent wood. The Australian evergreen Beech (Fagus Cunninghami) forms 
o j e tiee, sometimes moie than 100 feet high, of which the wood receives a beautiful 
f k‘ nc * s as are more generally known, I may yet mention as useful, 
ie . ' /p 01 01 " a ' mt nta " 01 k’ tlie Sassafras wood (from Atherospcrma moschatum), the Lomatia 
°° l /r ° nl ° ma f m P° 3 mmpha), that of the Tolosa tree (Pittosporum bicolor), the Musk 
wood (from Eurybia argophylla), the Iron wood (from Notelaea ligustrina), that of the Oil- 
