XX11 HISTORY OF 
and, passing to the north of the Great Barrier Island, arrived at Whangarei 
Heads, where he remained for two or three days. Turning southwards, 
he passed Cape Rodney and Tiritiri Island, and anchored at the entrance 
to Auckland Harbour, of which little was known at that time. He landed 
on both the northern and southern banks of the Waitemata, and, having 
sent a boat up the Tamaki River as far as the present township of Otahuhu, 
some of his men were guided by the Maoris across the narrow isthmus to 
the head of the Manukau Harbour. D’Urville left Auckland Harbour by 
the Waiheke Channel, passed between the Great and Little Barrier Islands, 
and after a cruise to the North Cape returned to the Bay of Islands. On 
the 18th March he finally left New Zealand, having spent a little more 
than two months on its shores. 
After the “ Astrolabe’ had returned to Europe the scientific results 
of the voyage were published in elaborate style under the auspices of the 
French Government. The botanical portion was undertaken by A. Richard, 
one of the leading botanists of his time, and was issued in 1832, under the 
title of “ Essai d’une Flore de la Nouvelle Zélande,” accompanied by a 
folio atlas of plates. Richard included not only the species collected in 
the two expeditions of Duperrey and D’Urville, but also most of those 
obtained by Forster in Cook’s second voyage. Altogether 380 species are 
enumerated, 211 of which are phaenogams and 169 cryptogams, 51 of the 
latter being ferns. It is the first publication dealing with the flora of New 
Zealand as a whole, and possesses considerable merit, so much so that it 
is to be regretted that so little use of it has been made by New Zealand 
botanists. 
Karly in the nineteenth century a trading intercourse sprang up between 
the North Island and Sydney, and by degrees a small European settlement 
began to form at the Bay of Islands. This led to occasional visits from 
colonial botanists and explorers, and much additional information was 
thus obtained respecting the flora. In 1825 Mr. Charles Fraser, Government 
Botanist and Superimtendent of the Sydney Botanical Gardens, landed 
for a day in the Bay of Islands, and made a small collection of plants. 
In 1826 his successor, the indefatigable Allan Cunningham, paid a visit 
of over five months’ duration. Through the assistance afforded by the 
resident missionaries he was able to explore the greater part of the Bay 
of Islands district, and to visit Whangaroa and Hokianga, making extensive 
and valuable collections. In 1833 his brother, Richard Cunningham, 
arrived in H.M.S. “ Buffalo,” which had been sent to New Zealand by the 
Admiralty to obtain a cargo of kauri spars for experimental purposes. 
He also spent nearly five months in travelling through the Bay of Islands, 
Whangaroa, and Hokianga districts. In 1838 Allan Cunningham paid a 
second visit, remaining at the Bay of Islands through the whole of the 
winter and early spring; but the precarious state of his health prevented 
all active work, and his collections were consequently small. He returned 
to Australia in October, 1838, utterly exhausted and worn out, as his 
biographer says, “ by twenty-five years of unwearied exertions and laborious 
travel,” and, after lingering a few months, died at Sydney in June, 1839. 
During a short visit to England Allan Cunningham had prepared for 
publication a sketch of the flora of New Zealand, entitled ‘“ Florae 
Insularum Novae-Zealandiae Precursor; or, A Specimen of the Botany 
of the Islands of New Zealand.” The first part of vans work appeared 
in the “ Companion to the Botanical Magazine,” vol. ii; the remaining 
portions in the “ Annals and Magazine of Natural History,” vols. i to iv. 
