Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS written on a cover sheet of The Polyglot Newsletter. A summary for trnsmission to Europe (English edition), December 1858, the front page of which is a lithograph of Thomas Baines's depiction of a Baobab tree, captioned 'The Gouty-Stem Tree, near the "Dome," on the River Victoria, N. W. Australia'.

Melbourne botanical and zoological Garden,

10. Febr 1859

My dear Professor Asa Gray.

Through a friend of the accomplished Mr McGowan, to whom we owe the extension of the telegraphic wires over this country, an opportunity is aforded me of sending you a parcel of seeds (fresh collected) and a few pamphlets for your self, the worthy Prof Torrey, Dr Engelmann and other of your bot. friends. I regret that this contribution is so very insignificant, but the main lot of seeds procured in the interior this season has not yet arrived and several publications are not yet completed or copies were at this moment not at my command. I will send you the 4th No. of my Fragmenta,

2

B59.02.03.

which has been in the printers hands since several months, by the first opportunity & several other Numbers will soon follow, as I have the manuscript prepared. Amongst the novelties to be described is a spec of Encephalartos,

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Macrozamia pauli-guilielmi B59.02.03, p. 86, transfered to Encephalartos B59.07.01, p. 91.

a new largeleaved Anopterus,

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Anopterus macleayana, B59.04.01, p. 43.

of which genus only hitherto one sp. was known from Tasmania,

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Anopterus glandulosus.

whilst A. macrosperma

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M's manuscript name, see his label on Kew herbarium specimen K000739768. Walter Hill, who collected the plant, asked that 'some remarkable and ornamental species in his collection' be named to honour his friend and patron, William Sharp Macleay.

occurs on the high mountains of E. Australia.

I sincerely hope, that the large box with specimens, seeds and pamphlets was at last received by you. I wrote about it to Liverpool several times,

7

Letters not found.

but have ascertained hitherto nothing about its fate. It is a great disadvantage, that we have no direct opportunity of forwarding from here to Boston, otherwise my communications would be more frequent. However I will not be deterred by one failure, and shall send you again a share of our bot. duplicates gathered this season.

That I received safely a few months ago the parcel with pamphlets, the "Flora of N. America",

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Torrey & A. Gray (1838-43).

the seeds and other articles, which you and Dr. Torrey were so very kind to forward, I have duely acknowledged at the nextfollowing mail.

With my sincerest regards, I remain, my dear Sir,