172 Kuranda-Cairns-Brisbane Monday, December 28. Returned to Cairns, George Viewers having business to do in town and driving me down. Some messing about over an air booking to Brisbane. A seat on a TAA Viscount was booked to me, then cancelled because of a plane said already full. Was transferred to ANA, but had to follow the thing right through personally before I got the ticket. Visited Mrs. Bert Connell (Mary) who used to be at Evon Range. Also saw Tom Webb, Frank Moody and George Milk. Did various farewell telephoning. Staying at Central Hotel. Much better than Hide's. Tuesday, December 29. Left Cairns by ANA Viscount turbo-prop. 8:12 a.m., landed for 25 minutes at Townsville, and arrived Brisbane 11:45. Dirty, cyclonic weather from Cairns to well south of Townsville, and we flew high. Only glimpses of the country through clouds. Afternoon spent at the Queensland Herbarium. Only senior man there was Blake. Also there was Bob Thorn from U.S.A. (first met here in March), bptany professor U. of Iowa working on a new classification of the flowering plants; has Fulbright grant and now a NSF grant. Through pressure of work, Blake has had to give up to Kern of Leiden the revision of Scleria for Flora Malesiana. Work was well advanced. Apparently van Steenis was pressing too hard. Blake says that Eichler, now Govt. Botanist (or equivalent) South Australia, could stand van Steenis for just so long as a staff member of Flora Malesiana. Heard recently that van Royen has quit. In Brisbane Everist has been ill and Blake and Smith are overwhelmed with increasing work. Not much has been done on a report on my 1948 Cape York collection, which has been here (1st. set) for 10 years. Everist promised in March to make all effort to clear up the collection before. Perry of Harvard retires. Perry goes out in February. She badly wanted to distribute the Cape York duplicates before that time. Van went to North Queensland on December 21 without leaving me any note on his changed plans. Am writing him at the Australian Museum, Sydney - the only mailing address I have. Van apparently worked for about a week at the Queensland Museum - I learn by phone. Staying at Lennon's Hotel pro tem.