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