Easter 1893
Private
The byefollowing speaks for itself, dear Dr Dyer, and it is from a Gentleman, whom
I have never given any offence, unless it be that I could not make out, that the Austral.
(N.S.W. V. T.)
differed from the one in Europe.
By last weeks mail I wrote about the extraordinary proposal of the Gov. Bot. of Q.L.,
to couple his name with Benthams in the Flora Australiensis, an attempt, by which
I have been taken perfectly unawares. I wrote to Sir Joseph at length and to you briefly,
but the subject affects me so seriously, that I send this as a sort of duplicate-letter.
It will be for the Bentham-Trustees particularly, whether all the unfair & wrong
statements are to remain unchallenged. Mr Bentham, I consider wrote the Flora of Australia
as a
honory
engagement. The subsidy went mainly to Reeve’s firm and value for it was received
in copies sent to each of the 4 supporting colonial Governments Q L. £350, N.SW. 350,
S.A 350, V. 700. =
Total
£1750. Why should any one in Queensland make it a total of £12000!
– of course I am to Mess Bailey, Prentice, Norton, Shirley &c
nobody
as regards the “Flora”, though I sacrificed even family-happiness for it, and travelled
observation lines of over 30000 miles in Australia for it since 1847 on horse or on
foot.
The Gov Bot of QL. did only travel in QL (I in all the colonies) I do not think that
he has seen more than 1/8 of the QL. territory himself there, notwithstanding railways
& coaches since he commenced to work for the Austral Flora on my own instigation,
and that was only, when the 6th vol. of the Flora was nearly finished. He must be
nearly as old as myself, and I am 67 not 70.
The S.A. Botanists feel all hurt and the subject will on their own impulse be brought
before the R. S.
there. None there were consulted. The feeling in N.S W. is nearly the same, only
Mr Turner, who is simply agricultural Botanist there, canvasses for Brisbane. The
assertion that Woolls supported this movement I cannot believe to be correct, it must
rest on some misconception, likely to be cleared up. I never said, that I would not
follow stricto pede the system of Bentham but he did
not wish
the Flora to be interferred with, as stated in the 7th vol., and only desired an
additional
synoptic
volume of mine.
Baileys main merits are that of an assiduous
Collector
of
Cryptogams
in QL, not of an elucidator of Descriptor. His Bellenden Ker work was entirely brought
about by my sending Sayer there, when for years he did nothing in N. QL.
Real progressive work of [a]ctual and
reliable
novelty, done by him is very limited, and his descriptions are very superficial as
a rule with little critical acumen. His proper duty would be to write, to supersede
his meritorious synoptic compilations largely from litterary property of my own,
a
full
Q.L. Flora.
Regardfully always your
Ferd von Mueller
The only genus, ever [established] by him (
)
is =
!
A vast number of Austral. plants not contained in the Brisbane collection even from
a single station, among those wanting also many even from QL
My Herbarium doubles and triples since 1864 the localities recorded in the Flora.
My age 67, little more than Bailey’s, and my health good.
