Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS envelope front: 'Mr Ferd Müller | care of Mess Büttner & Heuzenroeder | Chemists & Druggists | Rundle Street | Adelaide'. Front post-marked Launceston, 24 July 1848, and GPO South Australia, August 1848.

For a published precis of this letter see Daley (1935), pp. 107-8.

Woodhall near Perth,

2

Tas.

July 24th 1848.

Dear Sir,

I take this opportunity of writing to say that I received yours of the 10th of Jun

3

Letter not found.

— & am extremely obliged to you for the determinations of the plants, I also received from Mr Giles

4

Not identified. See also C. Stuart to M, 22 May 1848.

a letter the same day but he had not then received the box of plants which I sent him as the Henry was not come up the river, so that there was no occasion for him to have written at all, I wrote to him to send me word what I was in his debt after deducting the value of the things I sent him he did not of course do so as he had not received them, but said that he had spoken to you to pay my debt, & take my box &c but I never authorized him to do so & should not have thought of such a thing, I have received kindness enough from you already, but he of course wants his money & I wish to pay him, and for that purpose have enclosed a cheque for three pounds to you, and if you would have the kindness to settle with him I should be greatly obliged, I am sorry to trouble you but have no one else I could trust to, my debt to him was I believe 4£ 13 so that if you deduct the 1£ 14/. from Stephens

5

Stephens not identified. He held a collection of Stuart's plants for sale; see C. Stuart to M, 22 May 1848.

& I suppose a pound or so for the things I sent him (which he said he would get valued) I think you will have funds enough & for any expense of carriage to the port &c & could I trouble you to get a cord around my box there is also my knapsack which I carried at my back when out collecting & there are some stray things in his possession which are not in the box which might be packed in it or any way best, I am much obliged for your calling at Mr Stephens's & the account was correct only I see he charged 10/. for commission when the amount was but [3£ 3/.] our bargain was 2/. in the pound, but it is not worth speaking of, — there is still a collection in his hands, and as I do not think it is likely to be disposed of at Adelaide I should be glad if you have sufficient funds if you would pay him the commission & get it for me, to which I should think he would have no objection as I should like to get it, but should you not have sufficient it may remain my reason for wanting it is that I am now in a situation where I could raise the seeds, having greenhouses &c convenient, I am afraid I am giving you more trouble than I ought, but depend on it that I shall use every exertion to collect for you here, I have now got a situation which exactly suits me as I can leave for a week or two when I like in the season so that I anticipate a good harvest of plants, I have a good many mosses Lichens &c ready to send you by the next [sailing] of the "Henry" — but am daily expecting a lot of specimens from Hobart Town, & which do not exist on this side of the Island (120 miles) which as soon as I receive I will forward you altogether, I have had some trouble in getting fronds of the tree Fern (Cibotium Billardierii

6

C Billardierei?

) or Dicksonia of R Brown, but have succeeded at last, but there is little or nothing in flower here at present, & what with the rains & weather it is very different travelling here to what it is in S. Australia, but in winter it is impossible to travel here, you say you found Eriochilus autumnalis, it also exists here plentiful, I see you have named 2 plants Daviesia umbellulata Sm No. 200 and Pomaderris elliptica Lab. which are different to the plants known here under those names which I will explain when I send you specimens of them — there are also in your list some numbers which I cannot remember having no duplicate numbers, & which I have annexed below now what I should like is this, if you should get the collection from Stephens, if you would annex the numbers to the plants in that collection, or any other made so that I might be enabled to make them out I am mostly puzzled to remember the Pultenaes

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Pultenaeas?

& Acacias, if you do not get the collection perhaps at some future time you would have the goodness to annex a leaf or so to the under numbers 14. 15. 19. 21. 22. 23. 45. 46. 47. 55. 56. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 86. 87. 120. 121. 123. 124. 127. 141. 142. 144. 146. 147. 172. 173. 174. 175. 177. 180. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. 190. 191. 192. 195. 196. 197. 199 200. 201.207. 212. 220. — with respect to the dried herbs for Mess Büttner & Heuzenroder. I will do what I can but altho they are here they do not occur in any quantity. I hope in the summer to be able to procure you many things algae &c from the Sea coast but I am distant 60 miles from it, [...]

8

illegible.

I have written to Mr Giles for some seed of that splendid plant known at Adelaide under name of Clianthus. I hope he will send some. I should be glad at some time of a few plants of the dwarf Drosera with large white flowers I do not know its name, I have got a strong Chara or Nitella for you which I never saw before, the mosses are hardly in fructification here yet, but by & bye I will surprise you with them. I must now conclude with best regards, and believe me to be

PS I should be glad of my things as soon as convenient & please to direct them to the care of Captn Scott near the Post office Launceston, I will send pr Henry next