Kelvedon
29th 1mo
1868
Respected Friend
Ferdinand Mueller
I have no doubt thou art wondering at my long delay in answering thy letters of 18/11/67
& 3/12/67
— the latter arrived in due course but the former was missent to Hobart Town instead
of Swansea & from thence I suppose forwarded to Oyster Cove on the Derwent there it
must have laid some time as it was only the other day that I received it. I hope thy
trip to Western Australia has renewed thy health. I should have considered Tasmania
a better climate for an Invalid; it was perhaps too early in the Spring for this climate.
If it is thy intention to write a paper on the Botany of this District for the R.S
of Tasma
would it not be as well to wait until I have sent the whole of my specimens. I regret
to say that I go on very slowly with them having many interuptions, one month passes
after another & little progress is made, but the collecting & drying the specimens
takes much time — The names I give to the plants must in most cases be altogether
wrong, & besides not having looked at Botany for a long period I have forgotten a
great deal of what I then knew. I therefore feel much obliged by having the correct
names & which I register in my collection. The first mentioned are the
e I have a few more species to send [2d]
Having finished the first case only on this day — although I have devoted as much
spare time to it as possible reminds me that it will be some time before a second
case is ready, in the mean time I shall hear from thee whether the first case is of
any use & worth being sent — Of all that are sent many more remain, some of the classes
are not even represented & few genera contain all the species found in the District.
As to the District — it is a tract of Coast extending from Cape Bernier on the South
to Doctors Creek or Seymour Mines on the North it was formerly known as the District
of Oyster Bay, from that Bay occupying a considerable portion of the coast line now
the South part is in the County of Pembroke the north part in that of Glamorgan —
the whole forming a Coast line of 80 miles A strip of land for cultivation extends
along the Coast & is backed by Tiers of hills that extend Westward to the Midland
Districts of Tasmania. The Tiers are formed of Basalt (Greenstone) with in some cases
Sandstone & the Coal formation, but this latter is seldom met with except on the Coast
line
Sandy Swamps replete with plants occur at intervals along the Coast Line Oyster Bay
is about 20 or 30 miles long & 15 to 20 broad Maria Island lies at its mouth the Schouten
Island & Freycinets Peninsula form the eastern side, Swansea lies at the head of the
west side of the Bay & Kelvedon (where I reside) is 6 miles South of Swansea — The
Schouten Island & Peninsula have a strip of Porphoritic Granite on their Eastern side,
extending up to Bicheno — The Rivers beginning South are Sandspit, Prossers, Little
Swan Port (which forms a large Port or Lagoon previous to entering the Sea, then several
small ones (Brixton's Meredith's Cygnet Wye) then the Swan, Apsley & Douglass — The
Swan & Apsley enter the head of Oyster Bay close to Freycinets Peninsula by one mouth
but previously forming an extensive Port 12 miles long by 5 or 6 broad — I have never
collected plants beyond the Douglass River it is likely as remarked in the description
of
that numerous plants allied to those of Gipps Land would be found farther to the
North of Douglass, I should like much to visit that part. Our climate is dry & warm
perhaps the best of any district for salubrity. Rain in 1864 31.16 Inches in 1865
19.66 Ins in 1866 24.99 Ins, average for the 3 yrs 25.27 Ins — The Rivers of the District
are swollen Torrents in heavy Rain & dry beds in summer, which are well filled with
a variety of Shrubs […]
