The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 25, WILTON PLACE, S.W. ¶ London ¶ June 24 /63 ¶ My dear Sir ¶ ¶ I had just penned a short note to your locum tenens in your supposed absence from Melbourne ¶ but luckily not posted it when I receive...

Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M4, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 63.06.24a

Plant names

Brachysema
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Burgesia
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Burtonia
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Callistachys
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Chorizema
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Cryptosema
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Cunoniaceae
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Dichosema
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Dillwynia
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Droseraceae
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Euchilus
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Gompholobium
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Melastomaceae
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Pultenaea
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Roea
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Sphaerolobium
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Viminaria
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Preferred Citation:

George Bentham to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1863-06-24 [63.06.24a]. 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/63-06-24a>, accessed April 19, 2025

MS black-edged; Laura Scudamore, the sister of Bentham's wife, died on 27 May 1863 (Hereford Journal, 30 May 1863, p. 4).

25, WILTON PLACE, S.W.

London

June 24 /63

My dear Sir

I had just penned a short note to your locum tenens in your supposed absence from Melbourne

See M to G. Bentham, 19 March 1863.

but luckily not posted it when I received last night yours of the 16th April

See M to G. Bentham, 16 April 1863.

— I am disappointed at the having to defer the pleasure of making your personal acquaintance but on the other hand I must admit you will be usefully employed in continuing your great work on the Victorian Flora. — I have also to express many thanks for your Photograph which does credit to Victorian Art.

I sent you by the May mail the remainder of the first vol. of my Flora Australiensis and I have desired Messrs Reeve & Co to remit to your care for the Melbourne Government the 30 copies which I consider your Government entitled to in respect of their subscription.

I am now hard at work at in which our West Australian collections are particularly rich I have nearly finished the in which tribe although I have to reduce a considerable number of my own species as well as many of Meisner's and Turczaninows yet I shall still have above 300 besides some additions which your collections will supply The genera I have done are Kipp ( Meisn), (including and ), (including and ), , (including ) (including ), , , (including the 2-ovuled pinnate Gompholobia) (including ), , , , (including ) and I have just finished the s proper — how far etc. do or not go into I have not ascertained yet. I hope to get through the greater number of them during the next fortnight After that I leave town for a couple of months holiday, to resume work in September. I fully hope to begin printing the 2d vol. in January or February at the latest and therefore beg you to let me have your materials at the earliest convenience . I reckon upon nearly 1000 and the families next in order will be pretty nearly as follows ( &c) & all of which I hope to get into the 2d vol. so as to begin the third next year with — As I shall have no preface or introduction to the 2d vol. I shall be able to get 1300 or 1400 species into it.

You ask about the proportion of your plants to the Australian plants at Kew.

See M to G. Bentham, 16 April 1863.

It is difficult to tell You will see by the Flora that we are very rich in Western plants from Drummond and others — much richer than yourself while you are much richer in Victorian & S. Australian — Our collections again are very complete in Tasmanian and N. S Wales plants whilst you have more than us in the Clarence riv. etc plants From Queensland we have a great deal, as well as from the extreme north which I include in it. Your Victoria river etc collection is larger than any other whilst in the N. W. Cunningham's is very extensive — and of the desert interior what we have is chiefly through you. A propos of Cunninghams it is 200 covers not boxes that they are done up in — You will best judge of the relative extent of all these collections by the Flora — I consider Brown's

The Australian collections of Robert Brown (1773-1858) were at the British Museum.

as the most remarkable collection of the whole

I should have sent you by this mail via Southampton a copy of my anniversary address as P.LS.

President of the Linnean Society, London; presumably an offprint of Bentham (1864b), delivered in May 1863.

but that I thought you on your way to Europe — I shall now send it by next mail — Many thanks for the 3d vol of your Fragmenta which has just been delivered to me. If there is no delay in receiving your plants I fully hope as long as I retain health and strength to publish a volume each year in May or June — beginning to print in January

Yours very sincerely

George Bentham

Dr F. Mueller

I enclose a duplicate of the bill of lading sent last month