Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/523

 his investigation, in order to form and prepare such col- lections of their vegetation, for the use of His Majest. y's gardens at Kew, as circumstances, and the particular season of the year proper for visiting those sh6res, might me. My very limited kuowledge of the plants of that con- fluent, especially of genera, tha form a striking feature in its Flora, was moreover essentially improved dudug our stay at King George's Sound on the South-west Coast, previous to our arrival upou the North-west Coast, at the commence- ment of the first voyage of His Majesty's cutter the Mermaid. Although the reader may inform himself, from Captain King's relation of the several voyagess of the opportunities that were afforded me iu forming my collections of plants, still it appears necessary,/n this place, to take a general retrospective view of those parts of the coasts under ex- amiuation, whereon my researches were made, adverthag, at the same time, to the prevalent unfavourable seasons for flowerlug plants, during which it should seem the survey of the North-west Coast could aioue be effected with safety. During the progress of the survey of the southern ex- treme of the North-west Coast, (at which part Captain King commenced his examinatious, iu 1818,) I landed in mouth Gulf, then upon one of the islands of Dampier's Archipelago, at the Intercourse Islands, and ou Malus Island; but the results of these several excursions (in some of which ample time was afforded me) did by no means an- swer my expectations; herbaceous plants being for the most part dead, and the few (hard woody) shrubs scarcely bearing fructif{catiou: disadvantages arisiug, iu fact, from the extreme barrenness of the land, and more particularly from the prevalent droughts of the season, previous to the change of the monsoon, which soon afterwards took place, obliging

�