Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0366
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[Page 366]
262
Some account of New Holland
a collection publishd at London in 1694 p.133.
[Margin note] Plant
the other was a small plant with long narrow grassy Leaves & a spike of flowers resembling much that kind of Bulrush which is calld in England Cats tail this yeilded a resin of a bright yellow colour perfectly resembling Gambouge only that it did not stain it had a sweet smell but what its properties are the chymists may be able to determine
[Margin note] Plants
Of Plants in general the countrey afforded a far larger variety than its barren appearance seemd to promise many of these have no doubt properties which might be usefull but for Physical & œconomical purposes which we were not able to investigate could we have understood the indians or made them by any means our freinds we might perchance have learnt some of these for tho their manner of life but one degree removd from Brutes does not seem to promise much yet they had a knowledge of plants as we plainly could percieve by their having names for them
thus much for plants, I have been rather particular in mentioning those which we eat hoping that such a remembrance might be of use to some or other into whose hands these papers