Document information

Physical location:

RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, ff. 121-2. 63.09.24

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham, 1863-09-24. 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/63-09-24>, accessed April 19, 2025

Melbourne bot. Garden
24
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4 over 5.
/9/63
Dear Mr Bentham.
I have just shipped case N. 18 pr. Norfolk, whereby the material for vol. II
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Of Bentham (1863-78).
passes now completely into your hands. The consignment brings also some supplements of select plants to former sendings, which no doubt you like to consult for an appendix to vol. II. Should you however not care to see specimens supplementing the notes on localities &c, pray let me know & I will keep them back in future.
Had I not thought, that it would be more satisfactory to you to look on such specimens yourself, I should have drawn up the supplemental notes from them. Let me know, how you wish this to be arranged in future. If I give for instance new localities of a
Vitis

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or a
Tribulus

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or whatever it may be, perhaps you trust to my correctness & render the risk of sending the specimens themselves all the way unnecessary.
I shall soon set to work to elaborate for the "plants of Victoria" the
Myrtaceae

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, as I wish to avoid sending anything, that has not been entered into the Vict. flora, so as to run not unnecessary risk. I really do not know what I have to do, should for instance the fine set of
Halorageae

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,
Papilionaceae

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&c, now entrusted to the waves become lost, for I could never replace the material for the flora of Victoria.
I attempted to work up Haloragis, but many unforseen departmental
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There are pencilled 'X' marks in the margin adjacent to I and departmental.
duties prevented me from finishing the work, and then rather sent the parcels off, than run the risk of delaying you. As soon as I have them again, I must work them up for my flora.
Should I not have mentioned it before, would you be so kind to cause a copy of your 1 vol.
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i.e. Bentham (1863-78), vol. 1.
to be sent to Dr Beckler? He has so largely contributed towards it, that he is particularly interested in it. His adress is Hindelang near Santhofen Bavaria, where he practices his profession.
Amongst
Lythraceae

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you will miss
Peplis Portula

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, which since some years has become common about Port Phillip on periodically inundated meadows. I have neglected to dry specimens & it is not now in flower.
On the 7. of September I shipped cases N. 16 & N. 17 pr. Monarch and on the 19 Aug. Case N. 15. These tree
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three?
contained mainly
Papilionaceae

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. Case N. 14 was shipped pr Yorkshire on the 1 Aug with the rest of the
Acacia

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e. I have as yet no knowledge whether Case 13 pr. Roxburgh Castle shipped on the 28 June & Case 12 shipped 8 June have arrived. Both these contained
Acacia

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e. I have no distinct acknowledgement, that the case N. 9. with Extra Victorian genera of
Leguminosae

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arrived. It was shipped pr. Suffolk on the 20 January under bill of loading & contained 21 fascicles. Pray let me know. The following Case N. 10 arrived & so N. 11 according to your letter, but I have, as I say, no acknowledgement of the arrival of Case 9, and feel therefore uneasy about it.
It also but right that I should remark, whilst I acknowledge the return of the 4 cases pr "Prince of Wales" that the soldering was very uncompletely effected, there being wide chasms left in the seams. Fortunately the cases stood dry & suffered thus no damage. Mr Pamplin had once a large case with books soldered in a similarly ineffectual manner & as it stood under drippage my foliants arrived in a state of paste!
Should the Kew collection have duplicates of
Eremosyne pertinata

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, I would be glad of one, as the genus is not represented in our collection. From Endlichers figure
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Endlicher (1838), tab. 112.
it must be very near Bauera. I believe the plant is like
Bauera sessiliflora

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extremely rare & local. You have now
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There is a cross in the margin adjacent to now.
165 fascicles for vol. II & there will be coming yet some supplemental fascicles. In the last case is a fascicle of ferns for Sir Will. Hooker's perusal. I would also mention, that it will not be good to quote Leichhardts collection as part of my herbarium, for altho' you placed in the preface the parts of it belonging to the Sydney Museum before the public, yet the Trustees might take umbrage at any thing that might convey an other expression. I find that
Haloragis filifolia

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AsGray
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Haloragis filiformis?
is only a form o[f] H. heterophylla. Poor Mr Woolls lost his only surviving Daughter within the last days, an other most accomplished & upgrowing daughter of his died about 2 years ago.
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Harriet Catherine Woolls died in September 1863; her sister Emily died in March 1861 (Gilbert (1985), p. 18; M. Thompson (1986), pp. 84-6).
He has been one of the most zealous & generous contributors to my herbarium & would have done wonders had he been ever residing in a botanically unexplored district.
Ever yours
Ferd Mueller