Melbourne, botanic & zoologic Garden
23. July 1861
My very dear Sir William.
I have your noble letters, dated 18 and 25 May before me, accompanied by communications
from your son & Mr Bentham.
All the principle passages of these letters urging to one point, namely the edition
of an Australian Flora by Mr Bentham under Colonial support, I shall adress myself
solely to yourself, well knowing that the relative questions will be fully discussed
in your high triumvirate, whenever a decision shall have been arrived at by the Australian
Governments in reference to the subsidies sought for this publication.
Altho' afraid, that I shall merely reiterate, what I already stated on various occasions,
I venture to bring once more my own ideas on the contemplated universal Australian
Flora before you, not with a view to urge their adoption, but with a sincere desire
to offer my counsels on a work, which, — to speak with Humboldt —, lange in unbestimmten
Umrissen vor mir schwebte,
and in the issue of which I always hoped to take a prominent part. Indeed it is not
saying too much, that ever since 1847 when I arrived in Australia, I sacrificed all
other interests for the purpose of concentrating such means, as by endowment of nature
or by by
the course of events were at my commands for the compilation of an universal work
on Australian plants, for which all I have hitherto done must be regarded as preliminary.
You are, my dear Sir William, fully aware that I have travelled since 1847 nearly
21 000 miles by land principly with a view to render myself acquainted with the vegetation
of this continent. I have moreover copious as yet uncopied notes of my diaries,
which I wished to bring to bear on the habitats of the species, whilst in our herbarium
we amassed gradually in addition to my own through various collectors such extensive
series of specimina, that I cannot but think a work on Australia's Flora could not
be perfected without direct consultation of this material. The fascicles of Australian
plants in our botanical Museum amount already to
82,
240,
77,
85,
70,
35, large collections of
being besides lent to European Botanists, considerable additions not yet inserted
and vast additions expected from several collectors now travelling in the interior,
whilst weekly or even daily numerous friends forward specimina to me.
Nevertheless it is but right I should admit, that my multifarious official duties
have during the last four years left me not even leisure enough to accomplish the
task of fully digesting these collections; but since the garden, over which I hold
the Directorship, will in the course of this year be finally formed in all its parts
and since I shall moreover ere long be relieved of the main-administration of the
zoological department, I may hope, if providence grants me life and health, to advance
with my botanical labours much more speedily than before, whilst I have meanwhile
put all our huge collections into perfect order and access and have to such an extent
augmented my library as to enter with fair strength on future literary work. That
my herbarium is devoid of very few Australian species is, I think, indisputable, and
that the series of specimina is much more extensive and select than in any other herbarium
I have reason to believe.
Yet I am fully impressed with the superiority of Mr Bentham over almost all phytographers
of this age, and especially for me, who numberes little more than half the years of
your celebrated friend it would be althogther unbecoming to place myself with him
in equal rank, and no one can more fully appreciate the power of his genius, his assiduity
and his comprehensive knowledge, of which we have again before us a remarkable example
in the Hong Kong Flora.
Still persuaded by a profound desire, to see the forthcoming work perfect in all its
details, as far as present discoveries go,
I cannot suppress my opinion, that it is not sufficient for critical demarkation
of Australian species, which after all will be the primary aim of the work, to elaborate
plants of this country merely in a museum or library; and here it is, where I believe
my views at the whole are least likely apt to be erroneous as regards limitation of
species, having watched the circumstances, which rule their variation, so long in
the field.
These were however not the only considerations, which induced me formerly to express
a wish of sharing in the authorship of an Australian Flora; for I could not but be
aware, how in my position as Botanist to the Victorian Government the task would devolve
on me of furnishing an Australian Flora partial or general, especially since I made
my office for several years past the centre of botanical information for all Australia.
I have further in my "plants of Victoria"
and in the "fragmenta" already deposited nearly complete monographic essays on certain
orders, such as
,
,
&c &c, whereas further it would be, in my opinion, hopeless to do justice to an elaboration
of such genera as
,
,
and others, requiring careful study in the field unless my herbarium and its notes
would be fully available for comparison. Should Mr Bentham without this aid issue
his pages, copious supplements, if not (as even in the admirable Memoir on
)
alterations must immediately follow, a necessity which I think might be avoided by
arrangements at the outset.
Anxious to sketch out a plan of operations to secure the greatest completeness of
the work you will, my dear Sir William, find me prepared to send home in integrity
portion after portion of our standard herbarium as gradually required during the progress
of the work, it being stipulated that the fascicles of the collection are restituted
to our botanical museum, whenever the revisal at Kew is accomplished. I shall also
be perpared to defray the cost of transmission and remission, if Mr Bentham will undertake
the clearance of the consignments to and fro at London and will always secure the
collections again in metal-lined carefully closed cases, when returned. I will also
in my department out of a small vote, I have for the publication of my works as long
as Government and Parliament sanction the continuance remit £100 for each volume,
so that only £50 from South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland would be required
respectively, a contribution fair in proportion to our population; and should the
grants for my work be discontinued I will save the above specified sum out of my salary
annually for the purpose. I will further arrange, that as far as possible diagnoses,
notes on the range of species, on variation &c are furnished either in print or in
manuscript along with the specimina to be transmitted, establishing myself no further
claims on the authorship of the flora, than some such as by mutual concession is so
justly held by Dr Hooker towards the Ceylon Flora,
a claim which you feel is due to me in the official capacity I hold and under the
consideration that not likely any other collections placed at Mr Bethams disposal
are to the same extent elaborated.
Mr Bentham thinks to embody not only all
but also the
in the first volume, whilst probably the former will occupy alone more than the allotted
500 pages and should, I think, be held in a volume separate as a distinct division
of the empire of plants. It appears to me also advantageous to sift from specific
descriptions notes relative to measurements and other characters subject to wide fluctuations;
nor can I recommend as long as we aim to produce an inexpensive and portabe work,
that it should be encumbered with lithographies, particularly if these are not for
the guidance of students accompanied by analytical details. On the other hand I believe
an augmentation of the work by quotations not merely of authors of species and genera,
but also of the original citat of their respective writing would be of vast instruction.
With sentiments of the deepest veneration, I remain,
my dear Sir William,
your humble and attached
Ferd. Mueller.
Sir Will. Jacks Hooker,
K.H., Kn. Leg. Hon., D.C.L.
L.L.D., FRS., V.P.L.S.
&c &c &c
