Ferdinand von Mueller

2/10/86.

1

Stamped to left of date: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Recd. 15 NOV. 86

Annotated in pencil beneath stamp: D. O. ✓.

It devolves on me again, dear Mr Dyer, to offer my grateful acknowledgement for an other act of generosity, experienced in my Department from the great Kew-Establishment. The new contribution of dried specimens is most valuable,

2

See note 4 to M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 2 May 1886.

as it contains so many rarities, and as the plants come from so many places little accessible to Naturalists. The series of Japanese botanical illustrations will also have a lasting value for critical research.

3

Iinuma et al . (1874).

I am much beholden to Sir Graham Berry for kindly effecting the transit, and now enclose a letter of thanks to the hon. Gentleman.

4

Letter not found.

Your wish for completing the series of typical Australian plants, described since the elaboration of the Flora Australiensis, for Kew will be attended to in a few months, though to my mind the reason would not be to vindicate the correctness of the descriptions, as the nearly 1000 Australian spec. added to those, described by Bentham, have been elaborated with scrupulous care and on most conservative principles. Those plants should however be available at Kew, to complete the display of species there, and to help representing

5

'help' interlined; 'ing' added at end of represent.

the geographic distribution. My own aim has always been, when bringing new specific forms under notice, that the descriptions should be such, if the material was complete, as to render the plants recognizable without reference to original specimens.

6

There is a faint vertical line in ink in the left margin next to 'as to render … specimens'.

The very few people, engaged in this establishment of mine, are taking now successively the 3 weeks annual furlong,

7

furlough?

granted by the Government here, and thus I shall be shorthanded in all the branches of the service til after New Year; if possible I will however make up the wanting or completing series for Kew as early as ever possible[.] I may not write much for the next three months, as I have been urged, to complete as early as possible the labourious task of furnishing the “Key to the system of Victorian plants”

8

B88.11.02.

according to Lamarck's method, the dichotomous arrangement being as difficult as unsatisfactory.

9

See Lucas, Maroske & Brown-May (2006).

I have not heard of young Mr Hooker lately;

10

Brian Hooker.

but will try to see him soon, though my time is so occupied and my health so fluctuating.

The Todea can best be dragged out of the deep ravine towards Easter, when the rivulets are low and the forest soil gets dry; the fern then will also arrive in the warm season at Kew. The specimen in the Exhibition is a private contribution

12

contribution interlined.

one of mine; but perhaps is best left there, as doubtless a permanent Museum will arise out of this exhibition.

13

See Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London (1886), p. 204: Class 63, 'Species of P lants and E xamples of Culture ' includes 'MUELLER, BARON F. VON, M & Ph. D., F.R.S., Government Botanist, Botanical Museum, Melbourne—(1) A todea-fern (Osmunda barabara, Thunberg) weighing approximately 4000 lbs'. The description of M does not suggest that this was a private specimen.

I have written to Prof. Luerssen, asking, to send fragments of the Papuan ferns to Kew.

14

Letter not found.

Mr Baker does not say, where the Selaginella & Hymenophyllum of which he gave the appro[xi]mative names, came from; I forgot; was it N Queensland or New Guinea?

15

There are vertical blue pencil lines in the central margin, f. 201 back, next to 'I forgot ... unnamed' and Baker's annotation (see below) below M's text. See notes to M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 22 June 1886.

The Selaginella he referred to Parviflora, the little Trichomanes he left unnamed.

16

Annotated by J. G. Baker on the bottom o f f. 201 back, right-hand page:

Received Aug. 1886

Selaginella proniflora Baker (not parviflora) Endeavour River

Trichomanes

Trinity Bay. Coll Say[er], is I think a new species allied to vitiense

over

on otherwise blank left hand page front of f. 201:Will you give it a name? | J G B.

We read the annotations as a draft for Thiselton-Dyer's reply to M's letter. Baker later described Trichomanes sayeri under his and M's authorship in Baker (1892), p. 15. It is said to be from 'Trinity Bay, Queensland', and collected by 'Sayer'. This was later determined to be the same as Gymnogramma sayeri described by M and Baker from Mt. Bellenden Ker in B87.14.01, p. 15. It is not clear which of the two descriptions was based on the specimen sent in 1886, as both would have been collected by Sayer.