Document information

Physical location:

RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, un-numbered letter after f. 67. 62.08.25a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Joseph Hooker, 1862-08-25 [62.08.25a]. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/62-08-25a>, accessed April 5, 2025

1
MS black-edged; M's sister Bertha died on 7 September 1861.
Melbourne bot. Garden
25 Aug 62
My dear Dr Hooker.
I have to express to you my best thanks for the handsome addition, which you made to our Indian herbaria by the transmission of the recent set of specimens, which arrived pr Rowena simultaneously with other consignments through Mr Pamplin.
You will find in the normal herbarium, transmitted to Mr Bentham, many duplicates, which I will be happy (as you must be aware already) to place at your disposal for the Kew Herbarium.
Enclosed I forward draft for the Books out of the late Prof Henslows library.
2
See M to J. Hooker, 25 March 1862.
I kept no duplicate of the pricelist, so Mr Pamplin will liquidate any balance yet remaining unpaid.
I am to the utmost alarmed , that neither you nor Mr Bentham announce by last mail, that the Box with , forwarded on the 27 March! pr Dover Castle had arrived, since the last mail did bring us notice of the arrival of the Ship! I have spent already some sleepless nights about this uncertainty of arrival of the plants, more particularly as I did not take out a bill of loading, but entrusted the case to Dr Thomson, the Surgeon of the Ship of Dover Castle in whose cabin it was placed on the day of sailing.
You will remember, that I wrote by the four successive mails
3
See M to W. Hooker, 24 April 1862, and also M to W. Hooker, 26 August 1862; M to J. Hooker, 22 June 1862; M to G. Bentham, 23 May 1862; M to G. Bentham, 24 June 1862; M to G. Bentham 24 July 1862; and M to G. Bentham 26 August 1862.
on this subject, also by the Ship Dover Castle and I implore you, should the case nevertheless have gone amiss, to instruct some competent person privately to institute a search and I will be very glad to pay the expenses thereby incurred. The case must either be at the customshouse or at the Agents or be taken away by Dr Thomson , whose whereabouts must be easily ascertained unless he has gone again to Australia or elsewhere
I enclose a few seeds of , gathered on my request by Julius Haast, who thereby has now completed the material for the description of this singularly beautiful plant. In candor it will be but right to remark, that Mr Haast discovered the plant, & sent it at once to me and that after learning through Mr Haast the particular habitat of the plant an other collector supplied you subsequently with specimens. I leave it to your feelings of justice, how this question should be finally settled.
4
See M to J. Haast, 29 July 1862 (in this edition as 62-07-29b), and J. Hooker to M, 22 August 1862.
I long much for seeing your genera ;
5
Bentham & Hooker (1862—83).
it will be a boon to Botanist[s] for ever, because the worlds flora is now sufficiently explored, to give to you the opportunity of judging, how the limits of genera could be permanently circumscribed at least in most cases.
Ever yours
Ferd Mueller
Of course the Dover Castle will have left, before you will receive this letter. The & were in the consignment in all 18 fascicles, indeed the gem of our collection. The Dover Castle sailed from here on 27. March and arrived in June with you. The Orwell left with 16 fasc. of smaller orders 24 April, bill of loading being previously sent. The Kent left on 3 July with 2 boxes C[...]iferous & other other
6
Word repeated.
orders, 37 fascicles,
7
See M to W. Hooker, 4 July 1862; RB MSS M44, Notebook recording despatch of plants for Bentham for Flora australiensis, Library, RBG Melbourne.
bill of loading being also sent and the rest of went pr Roxburgh Castle on the 2[8] July, that being the seventh box containing 15 fascicles — and most probably I shall send some calyciflorae, i.e. , , & pr Great Britain , destined to sail 16. September. If, as I most ardently hope, all consignments of safely arrived, there must be 123 fascicles in 7 boxes & 1 supplemental fascicle will be sent by Great Britain.