PREFACE. 
11 * 
In 1847-9, Captain Stokes, R.N., in H.M.S. Acheron, surveyed 
the coast of New Zealand ; lie was accompanied by Dr. Lyall, who made 
very large and excellent collections, especially of Flowerless plants, on 
various parts of the coast, hut chiefly of the Middle Island. 
The other collectors to whom I am principally indebted for the mate- 
rials published in the ‘ Flora Novae-Zelandise,’ are, firstly, the Ret. W. 
Colenso, who, during many successive years, has collected throughout 
the whole length of the Northern Island, with great care and skill, dis- 
covering more new and interesting plants (especially on the Ruahine 
Range, Tongariro, Hikurangi, etc.) than any botanist since Banks and 
Solander. In every respect Mr. Colenso is the foremost New Zea- 
land botanical explorer, and the one to whom I am most indebted for 
specimens and information. The late De. Andrew Sinclair, R.N., 
F.L.S., formerly Colonial Secretary, a man of great attainments in many 
ways, certainly ranks second to Mr. Colenso. He collected very copi- 
ously in the Bay of Islands, the Auckland districts, and in the Nelson 
mountains, and was engaged in a botanical exploration of the Southern 
Alps in company with Mr. Haast, when he was drowned in the Rangi- 
tata river. His loss has been a very great one, whether as a botanist 
or as an enthusiastic and liberal patron of science. 
The first alpine collections were made by my late friend J. T. 
Bin will, Esq., of Sydney, who was the earliest explorer of the interior 
of the Northern Island, and in 1839 ascended the lofty active volcano 
Tongariro, incurring considerable danger ; at a later period he was 
the first explorer of the Southern Alps, making extensive and very im- 
portant collections on the Nelson mountains, which were transmitted 
with copious notes to Sir W. Hooker. 
The same mountains have been still better explored by Dr. Munro, 
who has added many beautiful alpine species to the ‘ New Zealand 
Flora,’ and sent an excellent herbarium of Nelson plants to Sir W. 
Hooker. 
In 1840, Dr. Diefeenbach visited many parts of the Northern Is- 
land and northern part of the Middle Island, and is the first person 
who ascended Mount Egmont. His collections, which are however 
most scanty, compared with the great extent of interesting ground he 
passed over, were also communicated to Sir W. Hooker’s herbarium. 
Mb. Logan, Mr. Edgebley, the Ret. W. Taylor, the late General 
Bolton, Capt. Haultaine, Capt. Drury, R.N., Mr. Jolliffe, 
Capt. D. Rough, and Mr. Stephenson, have all contributed inter- 
esting and important collections which are embodied in the ‘ Flora 
Novse-Zelandise.’ 
