Allan Cunningham, the great botanical explorer of Australia, was born at Wimbledon, near London, in 1791.  He received a good education, his father intending him for the law; but he preferred gardening, and obtained a position under Mr. Aiton, at Kew.  In 1814 he went to Brazil, where he made large collections of dried specimens, living plants, and seeds.  Here he remained two years, collecting in the vicinity of Rio, the Organ Mountains, San Paolo, and other parts of Brazil.  Sir Joseph Banks wrote that his collections, especially of orchids, bromeliads, and bulbs, “did credit to the expedition and honour to the Royal Gardens.”  He was nominated for service in New South Wales, and landed at Port Jackson on the 21st of December, 1816.* He first started collecting about the present suburb of Woolloomooloo in Sydney, which we may infer therefrom presented a very different appearance from that which it now presents.  He next went with Oxley on his Lachlan expedition.  On his return, he commenced the first of his five coastal voyages, in which he accompanied Captain P.P.  King around most of the continent of Australia.  In the tiny cutter the Mermaid, of 84 tons, they left Port Jackson on the 22nd of December, 1817, and sailed round the south coast of Australia to King George’s Sound, the west coast, the north coast, and finally to Timor.  The Mermaid returned by the same route and anchored in Port Jackson on the 24th of July, 1818.  Again on the 24th of December, the Mermaid left Port Jackson on a short trip to Tasmania, from which they returned in February, 1819.  Once more the busy little Mermaid sailed from Sydney on the 8th of May, 1819, to make a running survey of the east coast.  On this voyage, many ports hitherto unvisited were examined by King, and amongst other places, Cunningham paid his first visit to the Endeavour River.  Continuing the survey, she rounded Cape York, crossed the mouth of the Carpentaria Gulf, and kept along the north coast, where King found Cambridge Gulf.  At Cassini Island, the Mermaid left for Timor, and eventually returned to Sydney round the west coast of Australia.

[Footnote.] For the accompanying notes of Allan Cunningham’s earlier lifework I am indebted to the Biographical Notes concerning Allan Cunningham, compiled by Mr. J.H.  Maiden, Director of the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

On the 14th of June, 1820, the Mermaid was again busy with King and Cunningham on board, and, sailing up the east coast she re-visited the Endeavour River.  During their stay, Cunningham ascended Mount Cook, where he made a fine collection of seeds and plants.  She coasted north again and picked up the survey at Cassini Island once more.  At Careening Bay, where they had occasion to stay for some time, Cunningham was again very fortunate in his collections.  Returning homeward by way of the west and south coasts, the little cutter was almost wrecked off Botany Bay.