Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne bot Garden

17/7/68.

The musci & lichenastra, dear Professor Lindberg, which I promised to you on loan

1

See M to O. Lindberg, 3 March 1868 (in this edition as 68-03-03d).

have been sent by the Anglesey, which Ship left for London last week, where she is expected to arrive in September, therefore in all probability early enough to allow the transmission to Petersburg before the Shipping ceases.

2

i.e. for the winter.

I have sent the whole to the Studienrath Dr Regel, who will doubtless forward them after arrival at once to you. Among them you will find many from New Zealand, also some from other countries. Should you find any novelties among those of Java, it will be necessary to obtain Prof Miquels consent to publish them. You are quite at liberty to keep all duplicates, some of which you would perhaps be so kind to send to Dr Regel.

I feel very much indebted for your goodness of sending to Dr Hooker for me some of your important phytological essays.

3

The library at MEL has a considerable number of works by Lindberg published prior to the date of this letter.

Pray let me know, which of my works you possess, that I may send you those, which for completing your series, may still be available.

It is very sad to contemplate, that in the rough clime of your north, the poor population is so much suffering. I trust the misery will be ephemerous and passing. Do however not think, dear Professor, that we are here without misery poverty and troubles. You suffer from the horrors of a cold clime. We suffer greatly from intense debilitating summer-heat, and altho we are in a gold country and in a country of abundance of pastoral animals and grain, we have also our troubles through diseases in cattle and sheep and through rust in cereals. The mining population is large in proportion to the yield of gold, and the yield itself is precarious. Were you here you would sadly feel that in a new country so much material means are absorbed for the first utilitarian works. Hence it is, that science here has to contend with great difficulty, unless it is strictly and at once successfully applied to practical arts and paying industries. Thus I may fairly say, that after 21 years! stay in Australia I am less prosperous than when I came, altho I not even reared a family. Living here is so excessively expensive. New botanic treasures are now very rarely met with. To get such we must go to the tropical interior of Africa or to New Guinea or such countries.

I shall treasure your photogram

4

Photograph not found.

very much indeed, and send you mine in return. You are still so young and have acquired already such celebrated name and extensive knowledge, that you are likely to be at the end of the century among the most illustrious of the phytographers of this age, if you quietly in your university pursue your researches.

Do you require Australian seeds for the conservatory of your University Garden

Is it in your power to send me seeds of any Russian or scandinavian Rubi.