Ferdinand von Mueller

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MS letter head of the 'Ladies' Leichardt (sic) Search Committee'. MS envelope front: 'Mons. le Chevalier & Professeur Parlatore | Florence | Italy | Ferd. Mueller'.

25/6/65

I have forwarded to you, dear Prof. Parlatore, by the ship Sussex a large case with dry plants & other contents.

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Sussex cleared out of Melbourne, bound for London, on 12 June 1865; see Argus , 13 June 1865, p. 4.

It has been adressed to his Italian Majestys Consul in London, who no doubt will manage to send it to you. It contains about 1000 species of Australian plants, which will form perhaps acceptable supplements to Webbs collection,

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The British naturalist P. B. Webb bequeathed his extensive herbarium to the Florence herbarium.

further some seeds for your garden & a few osteologic specimens for your Museum. also a fruit of Encephalartos spiralis — I have added also all my Australian Coniferae on loan. After having consulted these for your memoir of Coniferae to be published in D. C. prodromus

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Parlatore (1868).

I should be grateful to have them returned, but you will please keep any duplicates.

I found room in the case for sending also a collection of dry plants for Prof. Todaro. A few other plants are put by, which I think will be useful for exchanges. If you desire anything specially for any institutions of Italy, it shall always be sent should it be within my reach. This moment I despatch 2 Emus via Rotterdam to Palermo. I doubt all my swans & kangaroos reached Italy safely and so the other consignments I have made. My last works (Fragm. vol. IV & lithograms of Victorian plants)

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B65.02.09 ; B65.02.06.

were sent to you not long ago.

For the 5th volume of the Fragmenta I have some very interesting plants from N. E. Australia, including Freycinetia, Aleurites, Brackenridgea and many other genera not previously found in Australia. Even several excellent new genera I have described, among them one of Anonaceae, Ancana, dedicated to your compatriot Baron Anca.

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M erected Ancana (Ancana stenopetala) in B65.06.02, p. 27.

I was deeply griefed to hear of the death of the venerable and illustrious Marquis Ridolfi. His is a great loss to science in your country.

The Expedition in search of Dr Leichhardt

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Ladies' Leichhardt Search Expedition, 1865-6.

proceeds to the interior in a few days

I will gladly continue to send you annually a set of my duplicates of plants and can next offer many from N. E. Australia.