Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne bot Garden 24/1/66.

My very dear Professor

Peace once more smiling on your great country,

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Following the US Civil War, 1861-5.

I cherish the hope, that science will with invigorated strides advance in your part of the globe, where especially in natural history remains so much to be achieved. I can understand, that Prof Brewers treasures from the highlands of California

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W. H. Brewer was botanical collector for the Geological Survey of California, 1860-64, before returning to the US east coast as professor of agriculture at Yale University, not far from Gray at Harvard University.

will absorb all your attention; thus you have perhaps neither cared to receive much from here, had even the terrors of war not disturbed the calmness of your pursuits. I feel however that I should endeavour to come out of my debt, which through Your generosity I have incurred and that I should strive to deserve the continuance of your benevolence of which I have been always so proud. As a first instalment of my new reciprocates I have sent off a good sized case this day pr. Ship Donald McKay , adressed to my Agents in London, Messrs Betham & Blackitt

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i.e. Betham & Blackith.

Cox's Quay, Lower Thames Street, who have been instructed to see the case forthwith conveyed from thence to you. The Agents of the Ship here have kindly placed it on the free list; there will be consequently but a moderate charge for clearing expenses & freight to Boston. I will however gladly bear this also. The case contains a large mass of crudely dried & therefore unprepared algae, enough to make thousands of specimens. All these are from Port Phillip Bay; further a few fruits of West Austr. Banksiae, a lot of Mosses of our fern tree gullies (unnamed) a few prints, 33 kinds of seeds in large quantity for distribution (for which I might perhaps receive pine seeds Walnuts, Acorns & other tree seeds in return), a larger collection of smaller lots of seeds,

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a larger collection of smaller lots of seeds written in centre margin between pages 5 and 8, second sheet, with intended position indicated by an asterisk.

some hundred of herbarium plants the duplicates of which may be useful for interchange and a parcel of dry plants for the bot. Society of Canada.

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Botanical Society of Canada, Kingston, Ontario.

Perhaps some of the seeds might be sent to California, from whence pine seeds of any kind will never come amiss, as I am anxious to establish the firs &c of that country extensively in Australia and have thus to rely on successive importations of seeds. I have sent the new lithograms of Vict. plants (70 plates)

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B65.02.06.

the 4. vol of my Fragmenta,

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B65.02.09.

my little anti-darwinian work on the Chatham Vegetation

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B64.10.02.

& other of my recent publications some time ago to you, also on two distinct occasions recently a lot of plants. Not having heard of their arrival I fear the war has upset affairs also thus far that our little scientific offerings had to perish in its crushing hand. I am placed at considerable disadvantage in effecting shippings from here, in as much as we have never direct opportunities to send from here except to England, while all my continental friends & all my American friends have often opportunities to effect direct shipments.

My engagements in this department, multifarious as they are, leave me but little leisure; yet I manage to give some aid to Bentham for the elaboration of the Austr Flora

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Bentham (1863-78).

& I have nearly finished the 5 vol of the Fragmenta.

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B67.02.07. Five fascicles of vol. 5 were published in 1865.

I hope this winter I shall be able to sort all the duplicates in my museum for distribution & will not forget your Herbarium on the occasion. — I have many tropical species to give away.

My normal collection comprises now nearly 300,000 specimens & though it is through your liberality rich in plants from the eastern states of N. Amer, I possess but little of California & absolutely nothing from the Sierra Nevada. It being a state collection, all contributions will be sacredly preserved. If therefore you have still any-thing out of Prof Brewers collection to spare I shall gladly receive it.

Pray honor me with an occasional line & let me know your requirements. Let me also ask you to accept this little portrait & return for it yours for my series of likenesses of befriended great coetans.

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M thanked Gray for 'your noble likenesses' in M to A. Gray, 10 January 1867. However, they cannot now be found.

I am preparing also collections for Prof Agassiz

Are the American hardy grape vines readily obtainable?

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Sentence written in the centre margin between pages 1 and 4, on the first sheet of the letter.

I have sent several parcels of dry plants to Kingston, books also, but never heard of their arrival.

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Sentence written in the centre margin between pages 6 and 7, second sheet.