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Gray Herbarium Archives, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 65.08.23Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to Asa Gray, 1865-08-23. 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//letters/1860-9/1865/65-08-23-final.odt>, accessed June 9, 2026
23/8/65
At last, dear Prof. Gray, I shall have an opportunity to send a consignment to you
directly by the "Patrick Henry", which ship is to sail in the middle of next month
for New York.
I will despatch a box with dry plants, containing among some less rare plants a good
many from the tropical east coast of Australia. There will be also some duplicates
of dry plants & likewise a quantity of seeds. I shall take the liberty to enclose
a jar with reptiles etc for Prof Agassiz's museum.
1
Patrick Henry cleared out of Melbourne, bound for New York, on 20 September 1865 (Argus, 21 September 1865, p. 4). See also M to A. Gray, 24 May 1866.
Through Dr. Sonder you will have received some of my new volumes sent on the 9. June
pr. Sussex to London. Through Mr. Osborne,
my dear and intelligent friend, you must have got some other publications, which
he kindly took with him for you when he quitted Australia. Dr. Sonder will also have
sent you a collection of 359 spec. of seeds. Now since peace is restored in your country,
new encouragement will arise to pursue scientific researches. I will do my best to furnish material for your Museum, though my engagements are so
numerous, that I cannot go any longer into the field myself, nor get much leisure
to make up duplicate collections. But I will do what I can. I feel I am largely in
your debt, for there is a brilliant display of N. American plant in my Museum, mainly
received from you, though Dr. Steetz's herbarium, which passed into my possession,
proves also rich in N. Amer. species.
Still of course it is but a very imperfect series of the actual species existing
in your vast territory, & new explorations, such as Prof. Brewer's
must have largely added to the species.
2
J. W. Osborne left Victoria in 1862 and settled in the USA.
3
U.S. Civil War, 1861-5.
4
See Short & Sinkora (1988).
5
W.H. Brewer was botanical collector for the Geological Survey of California, 1860-64.
The 5th vol of the Fragmenta is about half printed
& contains mainly new plants from N. E. Australia of Indian type. Does your Academy
require anything from here?
6
A slight exaggeration: the third of the eleven fascicles in vol. 5, B65.07.03, was
published in July 1865.
Ever your
Ferd. Mueller.