4 
Now, of tins remarkable tribe I have succeeded in detenuining more 
than two hundred species, all still growing within a very short distance of tins 
excessive age, and have left no suecessors. . , 
In the accompanying ]iaper is a list of all the species found by me up 
to the end of the last month, and an abundance of cones of nearly all these have 
been collected and sent to the curator of the Botanic Garden. These your 
Excellency may now cause to be distributed and made known over the whole 
civilised Avorld : and thus the Botanical Garden would probably receive from 
those established at the Cape, Rio de Janeiro, Calcutta, Ceylon, ^c., &c., moie 
rare and costly plants, in exchange, than would fill five such conservatories as 
that now building in Melbourne. 
I should also suggest, that as most of the species are handsome, and 
many beautiful, growing trees, half an acre or so of ground be appropriated for 
a seed bed, by which a large number of young plants might be raised, ready 
to transplant into the projected shrubberies round the Government House, and 
to distribute among such private individuals as may wish to possess some few 
examples of these aborigines of the vegetable Avorld. 
To establish these discoveries upon the most solid basis, I have given 
up nearly a month of my engagement with the Tasmanian Government, for, 
without having laboured, 1 may say truly, both day and night, for the last 
three months, 1 could not have brought the matter to such an unquestionable 
issue. Without taking too much credit to myself, I feel satisfied that these 
discoveries will be regarded with as much surprise and almost incredulity 
amongst the botanists of Europe, as was that of gold in Australia among the 
geologists of Britain. 
Of all those named in the list I possess elaborate descriptions, partly 
written Avith the trees before me, and finished before the cones had opened, and 
thus lost their specific charactei’s. As thei’e exists no scientific society or 
other medium for publishing an essay on these trees in Melbourne, I think the 
Royal Tasmanian Society (of Avhich I am an honorary member) Avill gladly do 
so in their OAvn transactions. 
I have the honor to be. 
Your Excellency’s most obedient servant, 
(Signed) 
WILLIAM SWAINSON, F.R.S. 
To His Excellency, 
The Lieutenant Governor, 
&,c.. See., 
Melbourne. 
