25, WILTON PLACE. S.W.
London
Augt 27 1873
My dear Sir
I trust you will have received safe the Monocotyledons which were sent I believe by
the Kosciusko All I have still are your
s and
s which I suppose you sent by mistake but which I consider it not worth while to return
to be sent again next year
I send by this post four more sheets. I hoped to have sent the whole as I have corrected
the proofs of all but the Index, but the printers took another holliday which occasioned
another fortnights delay
I have to thank you for the last sheets of Fragmenta — I am glad to see that you continue
to get new and interesting plants to publish preparatory to the Supplemental volume
of the Flora which I feel certain will be left for you to work up — All I can hope
to have life & health left for is to work up the 7th volume which will I believe just
take in the remaining Monocotyledons and Ferns I cannot however set about it till
next summer and no one knows what may be the effect of another winter on one of my
age. You need not think therefore of sending me the remaining Monocotyledonous specimens
till next spring.
I was sorry to see you taking up the modern German notion of reviving obsolete names
to replace those which are universally adopted. It is all very well to restore a name
of Loureiros for genera only known to a few botanists — but abolishing such well established
names as
and
only creates confusion and retards instead of advancing science. The change will
certainly not be adopted and only adds to the heavy synonymy with which the science
is clogged and which tends so much to depreciate systematic botany in the eyes of
the philosophical biologist.
I think it would be very desirable if you could prepare for publication in your own
name immediately after the completion of my seven volumes an additional one containing
all the additions & corrections you have to make to the Flora — and a general survey
of the botany of Australia and its distribution over the territory with relation to
physical conditions and to presumed origin — all which can be much better worked out
in the country itself than here and is therefore much fitter to be undertaken by you
than by me even if my time admitted of it — but I can only think now of trying to
bring to a close what I have in hand without attempting anything new
Yours very sincerely
George Bentham
Baron v Mueller
It would be better in directing to me not to put P L.S. or Prest Linn. Soc. as I shall
most probably soon quit the chair.
