Ferdinand von Mueller

16/6/82

In distributing some timber specimens, dear Professor Lange, I was enabled to prepare a collection also for your bot. Museum, and these samples are now forwarded in one box by the "Lusitania"-Steamship to my London Agents, Mess. Watson & Scull, Thames Street, who have been instructed to dispatch them to your adress free of cost. I only hope, that these timber specimens will prove new to your collection.

I have interested myself for Mr Howitz, brother of Prof Howitz, to obtain an engagement in the new Forest-Department of New South Wales, Dr Renwick, the Minister for Forests, being a medical friend of mine in Sydney. As soon as the bill, authorizing the new Department, has been adopted by the local Parlament, definite arrangements will be made for appointing the Staff, and Mr Howitz will have a good chance to obtain one of the appointments. He ought however not to give up any other prospects, which he may perhaps have in England or Denmark,

1

Howitz evidently returned to Europe since he wrote to Joseph Hooker from London on 18 October 1882, enclosing a letter of reference that M had given him; see RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1871-81, ff. 327, 328.

or which elsewhere may present themselves to him, as any moment a ministerial change may take place in these southern colonies, though the Government of Sir Henry Parkes is a strong one, and is likely to be for a long time in power. With Sir H. Parkes I have also some influence, having dedicated to him the Sydney Edition of my volume on "select plants for industrial culture" (the 4th edition, the 3th being printed in 1880 in Sydney.

2

The NSW edition, B81.01.04, dedicated to Parkes, was available by 28 January 1881, when it was mentioned in the Sydney morning herald, p. 5. The 1880 edition, B80.13.07, was issued not in Sydney but by the Office of the Superintendent of Printing, Calcutta.

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