With a view towards an entire completion of the survey of the several coasts of the continent, that part of New South Wales within the tropic, north of Cape Bedford, which was not seen by Captain Cook, entered into the plans of the Mermaid's second voyage; and it was highly gratifying to my feelings to reflect that it was reserved for me to complete several specimens discovered formerly in imperfect states by those eminent naturalists who accompanied the above great circumnavigator, in 1770, desiderata, that have been wanting ever since this period of their discovery; no mediums of communication with those particular parts of the coast having presented themselves.
The aggregate of the several collections that have been formed during the progress of the four voyages under the general circumstances above briefly referred to, and which, as constituting a small Herbarium, will be thus collectively spoken of in the following remarks, does not exceed one thousand three hundred species of Phaenogamous plants; of these five hundred and twenty are already described by authors, the other portion being in part unpublished species, previously discovered on other coasts of Terra Australis, and in part absolutely new, referable, however, mostly to well defined genera.

Of Cryptogamous plants, there are but few species, and of these, or parasitical Orchideae, none have been detected in these voyages in addition to those already described: a circumstance, that with respect to the North-west Coast can reasonably be accounted for, from the non-existence of primary mountains, or land above very moderate elevation; by the absence of lofty dense forests (points of character necessary to that permanency of atmospheric moisture, which constitutes an essential requisite to the existence of almost the whole of these tribes): and the consequent general exposure to the sun of those arid shores.
Limited in number as the new species really are, they will nevertheless constitute, when added to the discoveries recently made, through the medium of expeditions to the interior, from the colony of Port Jackson, very important materials to carry on that Flora of Australia, so very ably commenced by Mr.Brown.Since that eminent botanist has already advanced much important matter in the valuable essay, published at the close of the account of Captain Flinders' voyage, respecting the relative proportions of the three grand divisions of plants in Australia, as far as they had been discovered at that period, and has, from very extensive materials, given us a comparative view of that portion of its Flora, and the vegetation of other countries; I shall now simply submit a few general remarks in this notice, on certain plants of established natural families, that have been discovered in the progress of these voyages; closing this paper with some observations, chiefly illustrative of the geographical diffusion of several Australian plants known to authors, whose localities have hitherto been exceedingly limited.
PALMAE.

On considering the vast expanse of the continent of Terra Australis, and that great extent of coast which passes through climates favourable for the production of certain genera of this remarkable natural family, it is singular that so few of the order should have been discovered: a fact in the history of the Australian vegetation, which (upon contemplating the natural economy of many other genera of plants) can only be considered as accounted for, by the great tendency to drought of at least three-fifths of its shores.
To Corypha, Seaforthia, and Livistona, the only three genera that have been enumerated in the productions of the Australian Flora, may now be added Calamus; of which a species (discovered without fructification, by Sir Joseph Banks, during the celebrated voyage of Captain Cook) has at length been detected bearing fruit in the vicinity of Endeavour River.
The existence of this palm, or rattan, on the East Coast, to which it is confined, seems almost to be limited to an area within the parallels of 15 and 17 degrees South; should, however, its range be more extensive, it is southerly one or two degrees, in which direction a remarkable primary granitic formation of the coast continues, throughout the whole neighbourhood of which is a peculiar density of dark moist forest, seemingly dependent on it, and evidently indispensable to the life of this species of Calamus; but at the termination of this geological structure, it most probably ceases to exist.

A dioecious palm of low stature, and in habit similar to Seaforthia, was detected in the shaded forests investing the River Hastings, in latitude 31 degrees South, bearing male flowers; but as it may prove to be a dwarf state of a species of that genus, which has lately been observed, with all its tropical habits, in a higher latitude, it cannot now be recognised as a sixth individual of the family whose fructification has been seen.
Although this order has been observed to be sparingly scattered along the line of East Coast almost to the thirty-fifth degree of south latitude, its range on the opposite shores of the continent is very limited.

Upon the North-west Coast, the genus Livistona alone has been remarked, in about latitude 15 degrees South; beyond which, throughout a very extensive line of depressed shore, towards the North-west Cape, no palms were seen.