2 
coasts of Australia to further my views, by giving myself and my 
assistant a passage to such part of the coasts as either of us might be 
desirous of visiting, only stipulating that the ships under their com- 
mand should not be detained on any parts of the coasts they were not 
ordered to visit. His late Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, in his 
capacity of President of the Royal Society, was pleased to favour 
me with a letter addressed to the authorities, civil and military, of Her 
Majesty’s Colonies, recommending me to their kind offices and protec- 
tion, as he felt assured that my exertions would materially promote the 
interests of Natural History. I was also under considerable obligations 
to the kindness of Captain Washington, R.N., at that time Secretary of 
the Royal Geographical Society, who furnished me with introductions 
to Captains Sir John Franklin and Sir Gordon Bremer, R.N., and other 
influential persons. Having thus acknowledged the facilities afforded 
me by the home authorities, it becomes my pleasing duty to state that 
their recommendations and wishes were responded to in the warmest 
manner by Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N., Governor of Van Die- 
men’s Land; Sir George Gipps, Governor-General of New South 
Wales ; Lieut.-Colonel Gawler, Governor of South Australia ; John 
Hutt, Esq., Governor of Western Australia; and Captain M‘ Arthur, 
Commandant at Port Essington ; all of whom rendered me every assist- 
ance compatible with the instructions under which they were acting. I 
should be wanting, however, both in courtesy and gratitude, did I not 
especially acknowledge the warm friendship, and the many acts of 
genuine kindness which I received at the hands of my valued friends 
Sir John and Lady Franklin, who, besides facilitating my views in 
every way, both publicly and privately, with the most generous hospi- 
tality received myself and family into their house, where Mrs. Gould 
and my eldest son, who had accompanied us, remained for nearly ten 
months, while I pursued my researches in various parts of Van Diemen’s 
Land and the continent of Australia ; and it is only by those who, like 
myself, have had the advantage of residing with that amiable family, 
that the kindness of their nature and the goodness of their hearts 
can be duly appreciated, and which can never be erased from my 
memory. I must acknowledge not less gratefully the many acts of kind- 
ness rendered to me by Sir George and Lady Gipps during my stay in 
Sydney. After exploring Van Diemen’s Land, the islandsin Bass’s Straits, 
South Australia, and New South Wales, into the interior of which 
country I penetrated to the distance of nearly four hundred miles from 
the coast dine, I despatched my able assistant, Mr. Gilbert, to explore 
the western and northern portions of the country, and returned to 
England in August 1840; I immediately commenced the work de novo , 
and the result of my labours is now before the public. It fortunately 
happened that at the commencement and during the progress of the 
work, Her Majesty’s ships the Beagle, under the command of Captains 
Wickham and Stokes ; the Britomart, under Captain Stanley ; the Fly, 
under Captain Blackwood, and the Pelorus, under Captain Chambers, were 
employed in surveying the northern and north- western coasts of Austra- 
lia ; and the Erebus and Terror under Captain Sir James C. Ross, in a 
voyage of discovery towards the south pole. While engaged in the per- 
formance of their arduous duties the officers of those vessels succeeded 
in procuring many interesting novelties, which were with the greatest 
