Document information

Physical location:

RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1891-6, ff. 41-2. 92.12.20

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to William Thiselton-Dyer, 1892-12-20. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/92-12-20>, accessed April 20, 2025

20/12/92
1
MS annotation by J. Baker: JGB 23/1/93.
Some time ago, dear Dr Dyer, you asked me, that I should send some fresh seeds of the strong scented
Boronia

Search for Boronia in

, and it was done.
2
See M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 7 September 1883.
As I just received a little again, this season, I forward a new though only small supply. This plant is very capricious as regards the germinating of its seeds. In some cases of gathering every grain will sprout, in other instances not one seed will come to anything, though the embryo will be fully developed.
The greatest portion of the plants, collected during the Elder-Expedition
3
Elder Scientific Exploration Expedition, 1891-2.
is now examined, and I hope to complete the revision of much of the rest during the quietude of the forthcoming holidays. But Prof Tate just writes me, that one more parcel as the last result of Mr Helms's collecting in 1891 was detained somewhere in the interior of W.A, and had only now arrived in Adelaide. When the whole examination is completed, Prof Tate on behalf of Sir Th Elder will send a set of the specimens to you.
4
There is a blue pencl line in the margin against this sentence.
Very little of novelty is among these plants, as the desert flora had been approached from so many sides before. Nevertheless the critical examination of the specimens has taken up much time, when species of large genera had to be delt
5
dealt?
with.
6
B96.14.02; the report was delayed until funds were given by the philanthropist Robert Barr-Smith to the Royal Society of SA for the publication of the final reports from the expedition.
Let me offer my best felicitation at the near festive time. May the new annual space of time, on which we are soon to enter also prove replete with joy (in 1892 I having contributed to it by my action and influence at Halle)
7
Parentheses added: the parenthetical text is writen in the central margin with intended position indicated by an asterisk. Thiselton-Dyer was awarded an honorary PhD by the ‘Leopoldinisch Karolinisch German Academy of Natural History’ (i.e. the Academia Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Naturae Curiosorum, or ‘Leopoldina’, based at Halle) ‘in recognition of the great services rendered by him to botany’ (Morning post, 30 September 1891, p. 5). See M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 10 July 1891 (in this edition as 91-07-10a).
for you and those dear to you!
Ferd. von Mueller.
Am glad that Mr Bryan Hooker got an engagement in N.Z., where through his illustrious father he has so high a claim for Gov. support.
8
Brian Hooker, mineralogist and mining engineer, was engaged on behalf of a private syndicate to examine tin ore on Stewart Island (Wanganui chronicle, 14 December 1892, p. 2).