Ferdinand von Mueller

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MS envelope front: 'Dr F Müller | Care of Messrs Büttner & Heüzenroeder | Chemists &c | Rundle Street | Adelaide'. Front post-marked Launceston, 2 October 1849, and GPO South Australia, 14 November 1849.

For a published precis of this letter see Daley (1935), pp. 133-4.

Woodhall

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Tas.

Septr 25th 1849.

Dear Sir,

it was with much pleasure that I got a letter from you on the 15th of this month,

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Letter not found.

the more so as I was afraid that you had not received the specimens which I had sent you, I had in fact put a letter in the post office to you the week before on the subject & which I tried in vain to get back when I received yours so that you will have received it before this reaches you which I am sorry for, as I am afraid that I spoke rather out of temper when I thought that I was doomed to be disappointed in sending, however it is all right now and am glad that you found pleasure in the sp. sent & I have now to return you my thanks for your kind attention to my wishes in giving me the names of so many plants, which in the absence of any other means of obtaining information as I have no books , was a great treat to me also for the specimens from Stephens's, as well as the box of Drosera — which came safely, but I have to inform you that the herbarium from Stephens's has been separated & what I got from you was just about one half or less, as it formely contained upwards of 200 Gen. & sp. the half of the sheet of paper with my appended list was also taken away, and amongst those specimens & seeds gone were the kinds which would have been of the most value to me, such as the Grevilleas , Stenochilus Viola shrubby Loranthi Loganias Halgania ? Many Pultenaes

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Pultenaeas?

& their allies &c &c this is very bad of Stephens's people but however I have sown all I got & am pleased to say that many are coming up now as well as your packet of seeds from R. Janeiro the most of which are growing & should you at any time have it in yr power to send me any of the kinds I have mentioned as missing in my herbarium you would confer a favor.

I have sent you a box containing a lot of Cryptogamous plants, & seeds of plants from the Cape of Good Hope & Swan River some of each of which I have sown this year and have got growing, there appear to be some curious things amongst the Swan River seeds, & if you saw them in your garden will require to be shaded from the sun during the summer I should have sent some vegetable seeds but have had all I had by me stolen a short time since, at all events they would have been too late to sow in your climate this year but will furnish you with a stock in the autumn

I am sorry to hear that you have had illness but hope you have before now quite recovered — I have myself been suffering from a severe cold & I assure you have some difficulty in writing this letter but am better — now my dear Sir I find that you have met with bad friends as well as myself often in respect of money affairs, & therefore I beg that you will not put yourself to any inconvenience about the little money that you may be indebted to me — as altho' I am poor enough I can do without it at present so therefore say no more about it I beg at present — & as to any remuneration to me for any thing that I may at times forward you I must once and for all decline receiving any, belive me it is not for money that I would exert myself to assist you in any way I can — there is one thing indeed in which you may do me a service perhaps, which is this — I am much in want of a magnifying glass similar to the one which you have, if you could obtain any thing of the kind in Adelaide I would be glad, & deduct the cost of it from the money in your hands, if not exactly like never mind, you know what I require, as I could then notice many characters in small plants — Compositae &c when growing, which should like to furnish you with — I cannot get any glass of the kind here.

it is my intention to take a journey to the Eastern part of VDL. in about a month if possible as I am aware of the localities of many plants there which I think are little known, but the fact is that the situation I hold requires so much of my time that I have some difficulty in getting away for any time & that is what has prevented me sending you many plants, Algae &c which inhabit our coasts, as the nearest part of the coast from hence is 60 or 70 miles how I wish I had the means to take one summer in the pursuit I would then show you what our Island produces, — but however I will do what I can, — Now I will answer your observations on VDL. plants seriatum — I have never observed any intermediate forms of Daviesia umbellulata & D. ulicina in fact have often observed their determinate character — I will look for the Leucopogon you mention but have sent you a small one which perhaps may be it — I think the Drosera (196) are only varieties arising from difference of soil or situation as I find no material difference except in mode of growth. — Sprengelia propinqua I do not know but we have two very different coloured varieties of S. incarnata in the same relation as Epacris impressa alba & rubra which will send you by & bye. — I will take notice of Bossiaea — respecting Brachycome I have to observe that there are several varieties as I think, not sp. which I will note, but you have I think mistaken No 152 your B. diversifolia — as the manner of seeding is quite different to Brachycome, more like Chrysanthemum the seed being destitute of any appendage or pappus, whereas that of Brachycome has a kind of chaffy rim membranous, but will send you seeds some time of this and others, the only Wahlenberghias

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Wahlenbergias?

I am acquainted with are those which I sent you — I think that Myriophyllum amphibium is M. verticillans

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M. verticillatum ?

in another state as the water sometimes leaves it, & it then has a very differen[t] appearance — I will send it — I do not know a Büttneria but we have here what I take to be a Laseopetalum or Thomasia? a prostate plant I have never seen a Dampiera — Anguillaria uniflora I sent you No. (185) Campynema linearis,

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C. lineare?

Agastachys odorata, Cenarrhenes nitida Lomatia polymorpha Taxanthema australis are growing in very remote localities but I know the plants well, & will endeavour to get them I think have seen Banksia depressa on the Riv. Mersey a low bush which I have overlooked, thinking it was B. Australis I will attend to it, & in fact all that you have mentioned as well as I can

I shall write to W. Archer in a few days but have expected to see him before now, he has promised me some specimens as he is in a good locality. — in his last he says he has determined the Genus Microcachrys (Hooker) Conifera No (371 372) of my collection to be wrong What were taken to be fem. & mas. in a dry state are distinct Genera but more of this another time my specimens to you were imperfect I shall bear in mind all your wants

The box of specimens & seeds are sent by the brig "Halcyon" the agent for which at port Adelaide is Mr Newman, the Cryptandra you will find in it differs considerably from the C. campanulata of S Aus. but is also Campanulata— I do not know Anatochlamys Billardira

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Apalochlamys billardierei?

in your next will you mention its order, affinity &c — Hemichroa pentandra (have I understood you aright) I do not know these are I think the only plants you mention that I am ignorant of — tell me more about them in your next the Hovea which I send & which you have named H. Stuartii No. 135

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No evidence that M published this name has been found.

has been known here as H linearis a very bad name