116

COLONIES ANGLAISES—NOUVELLE-GALLES DU SUD.

Class II.

Products

obtained

without

Cultivation.

information to be relied upon with regard to the qualities Iof their timber. They have been in the habit of confound-ing together numerous species, under the general designa-tion of brush trees.” It requires careful and laboriousinvestigation on the part of a stranger in these brushes, todistinguish trees even of very different families; theirfoliage is often so far overhead, and so intermingled withthat of the neighbouring trees and climbers, their trunksare so covered with epiphytes, and the light is so imperfect,that the tree often requires to be cut down to determine itsidentity; even then it frequently becomes further requisiteto cut down several of the neighbouring trees, which havetheir branches attached to it by the “ bush-ropes,” beforethe tree will fall, and bring the foliage within the explorer’sreach. The uncertainty of their periods of flowering andfruiting gives rise to ‘further difficulty. On the presentoccasion, although they have been repeatedly examined atshort intervals over a period of six months, comprising theseasons at which they might be expected to show flowers orfruit, it is remarkable how few have been detected in afertile state. These few forming the exception rather thanthe rule with the particular species to which they belong,it would appear to be certain that the great majority of thetrees of this class do not flower every year, and many ofthem only at long intervals. In proof of the intimate in-termixture of many kinds of trees, it may be stated that,skirting a narrow track through a Cedar Brush for abouthalf a mile, more than sixty species were observed all,growing within twenty or twenty-five yards of the track;of these, above three-fourths were of the stature of treesIt may be remarked, also, that no two brushes resembleeach other precisely ; fresh species of trees make theirappearance in each succeeding brush, whilst others disap-pear. This characteristic seems to prevail wherever anopportunity of examining them closely has been afforded.

The timber of the trees of this class differs remarkablyfrom Class A. The grain is much finer ; it is also, for themost part, sound at heart; and the heart-wood, if notshaken in the fall of the tree, may be used, as is the casewith the timber-trees of Europe : even when of very largesize, and not sound at the butt, they are usually perfectlyso a little higher up; they differ generally, also, from thetrees of Class A, in splitting most freely the “ bursting-way.”

Although their qualities be so little known, it is not tobe doubted that some of them would prove of great value..The very imperfect collection of them, which has beenmade on this occasion, affords evidence that some possessconsiderable beauty. At the same time it should be ob-served, that the timber of a considerable portion is notdurable when exposed to the weather or to damp ; andthat, as a class, they are, neither for strength nor lastingqualities, to be compared with the numerous, more coarsely-grained, but almost imperishable woods of Class A.

It is to be regretted that, in offering for the first time tothe European world a considerablo number of the woods ofAustralia, so little time should have been available for col-lecting them. Instead of six months, two or three yearswould scarcely have sufficed to form a tolerable collection.The necessity, which on the present occasion has existed,of cutting them down whether the season was favourableor not Lgtheir exposure immediately afterwards in thesap, antlrrequently for many weeks, to the action of sunand wind during a season of unusual dryness and aridity,has been injurious to the majority of them, and has causedsome valuable timbers to assume a very unfavourable ap-pearance. Some of the woods with the closest grain requireto be steeped in water for several weeks immediately afterbeing cut down and sawn up, and afterwards to be care-fully dried in the shade. In forming this collection, noprecaution to prevent damage from the weather has, forthe most part been available. In other respects, the short-ness of the period which could be devoted to the object,the limited funds at command, combined with the difficultyof procuring labour, have all operated to prevent it fromrepresenting more worthily the richness of New SouthWales in woods. Inferior specimens had generally to betaken, because the labour requisite to get out the betterwas not to be procured ; but it was considered advisablerather to secure examples from trees of under size, than toleave the species unrepresented. Even as it is, a great manywhich are known have not been obtained, and some whichwere procured have not been forwarded, or, at all events,have not reached their destination. In the Catalogue, theaverage full-sized dimensions of each species are stated, ac-tual measurement, in almost every instance, having been theauthority. The dried specimens of the fronds, which have

been procured with the woods, have corresponding numbersattached to them ; ami, whether in a perfect state or not,as regards their fructification, they may be relied upon asbeing, in each case, from the same species as the timber.

William JVlACAiiTiirn,

Camden, New South Wales, Commissioner at.the Paris Universal Exhibition, from that Colon.//,

\ C Polyosma Cunningiiamit.—Y crralla.—T). 10 to 15inches. H. 30 to 40 ft.—A very beautiful smalltree, with bright glossy foliage, and very fragrantflowers; the wood close grained, easily worked,apt to rend in drying, but when dried properlylikely to be serviceable for turning and for cabinetwork. Found at Illawarra, only upon the mountainside. The specimens collected much damaged.

2 C Monimiaceæ. — Meow-werang.—D. 8 to 10 inches.

H. 150 to 180 ft.—A woody climber of very loftygrowth; wood soft, weak, and apparently of novalue.

3 C Eupomatia laurina.— B alwàrra. —D. 8 to 10 inches.

II. 20 to 30 ft.—A low, branching tree with hand-some foliage, producing a profusion of fragrantflowers, and fruit, eatable, but insipid; wood, yel-lowish brown, prettily marked, but soft, its qualitynot known.

4 C BitACHYCiiiTON ACERiFOLTUM.— Couràmyn. Flame

Tree .*— I). 12 to 30 inches. II. 00 to 120 ft. — Aslender-growing, lofty tree, with bright greenfoliage, the leaves in form resembling those of thecommon Sycamore, producing large racemes ofbright coral-coloured flowers, rendering the treeconspicuous from afar, whence its local name;wood, soft and spongy ; the bark used by the abo-rigines to make nets and fishing linos.

5 C Stenocakpus salignus. —• Meleyn — Beef Wood.*

Silky Oak. t—D. 18 to 30 inches. II. 50 to 100 ft.—A tree with very sparse foliage ; one of the fewProteaceæ growing in the Cedar Brushes; produ-cing wood of great beauty, susceptible of highpolish, and promising to be valuable for veneersand cabinet-work, hitherto used only for shinglesof inferior quality.

6 C Cryptocarya sp.—O orawang. Laurel. —D. 21 to

48 inches. II. 70 to 120 ft.—A noble tree, withlofty sj’mmetrical hole, and dense rich foliage ;wood, soft, not durable, but useful, and not with-out beauty.

7 C Sapindus sr.—Balim bowlimba.—D. 20 to-10 inches.

H. 60 to 80 ft.—Tree of moderate size, but one ofthe most beautiful of its class in form and foliage ;the trunk never cylindrical, but of the most irre-gular outline; the quality of the wood unknown.Found only at Illawarra. The specimens indif-ferent and damaged.

8 C Acmena elliptica.—T djerail.—T). 16 to 20 inches.

H. 60 to 80 ft.—Beautiful small tree, with densefoliage, producing clusters of fruit, very acid, butwholesome and eatable ; wood, compact, apt tosplit in drying, quality little known. The speci-men collected much damaged.

9 C Panax sp. —D. 9 to 18 inches. II. 30 to 50 ft.—A

remarkable, tall, slender-growing, small tree, withfew or no branches, and very large pinnate loavesoften more than four feet long ; wood, white, verysoft and light, very perishable.

10 C Cassinia sp.—I). 5 to 10 inches. II. 15 to 18 ft.—

A tall, branching shrub, of irregular growth;wood generally damaged by the larvai of coleop-terous insects. Found at Illawarra, high up uponthe side of the mountain.

11 C Peksoonia salicina.— Babadiil.—T>. 4 to 8 inches.

II. 12 to 16 ft.—Pretty, branching shrub. Commonat Illawarra, at the outskirts of Cedar Brushes,towards the summit of the mountain. The fruiteaten by the aborigines.

12 C Trochocarpa laijrina. — Biiranduna. Beech. *

Brush Cherry .f—D. 10 to 16 inches. II. 20 to 30ft.—Pretty, small tree, seldom of very straightgrowth; wood firm, very close grained, and insome specimens, very ornamental, likely to beuseful to the turner and cabinet-maker, buthitherto little known. It requires to be carefully

* Name at Illawarra. + Name at Brisbane Water.