The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne, ¶ Royal botanic Garden, ¶ 3/3/68. ¶ ¶ It was a real day of rejoicing for me, Excellency, when recently together with letters from the noble Martius and other illustrious savants another le...

Document information

Physical location:

Aussenstelle, Bundesarchiv, Frankfurt am Main. 68.03.03b

Plant names

Macarthuria
Search for Macarthuria in
- This website
- Australian Plant Name Index
Marianthus coerulopunctatus
Search for Marianthus coerulopunctatus in
- This website
- Australian Plant Name Index

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Carl von Hügel, 1868-03-03 [68.03.03b]. 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/68-03-03b>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melbourne im königl botan Garten

3/3/68.

Es war für mich, Exzellenz, ein wahrer Freudentag, wie mit Briefen von dem edlen Martius u andern leuchtenden Gelehrten, jüngst auch wieder ein Schreiben von Ihrer gütigen Hand eintraf, und ich muss Ihre gütige Herablassung mir zu schreiben um so höher würdigen, als in Ihrer erhabenen Stellung, in Ihrem ehrwürdigen Alter und inmitten Ihrer aufblühenden Familie, der Entferntstehende auf die knappe Musse Ew. Excellenz keine Ansprüche hat. Ich werde Gelegenheit haben demnächst die gütige Notiz zu veröffentlichen, dass Marianthus der Fürstin Metternich gewidmet sei u bin ganz stolz auf diese Erlaubniss die Dedication mehr allgemein bekannt machen zu dürfen, zumal da mein gelehrter Freund, Profess. Wittstein die Bildung des Namens missdeutete. Unter den Marianthius Fragmenten, welche Sie anzunehmen die Güte hatten, befand sich, wie ich glaube, keins von M. coeruleo-punctatus, welche Art ich vor einigen Monaten selbst zwischen King Georges Sound u Stirling Range sammelte.

Ich fand nur 2 oder 3 Blüthen, sende aber doch ein Zweiglein, denn die Pflanze ist so hübsch mit ihren weissen cyan-punctirten Blumen.

Würden Sie, edler Herr, mir freundlich sagen, ob das Genus dem Sir Will Macarthur von Camden oder vielleicht dem General Macarthur (des vorigen Bruder) oder dem Commandanten M`Arthur von Port Essington (Arnhem´s Land) gewidmet sei.

Ich habe den 6ten Band der Fragmenta fast vollendet, der manches Schöne und auffallende aus der Pflanzenwelt Australiens aufdecken wird. Auch liefere ich eben den Rest meines Materials u meiner Notizen für den 4ten Band von Benthams Werk über die Universal-Vegetation Australiens. Zwar sind wir nun zu den Familien gelangt, die R Brown in dem goldnen Prodromus bearbeitete, aber in den seitdem dahingeflossenen 60 Jahren sind die genera u species verdoppelt u verdreifacht, während wir zuerst die genauern Verbreitungen der Arten u weitläuftigere Definitionen der Charactere zu geben vermögen.

Mag ich hoffen, dass Ew Excellenz in den herrlichen Seelüften und unter der Pflege Ihrer vortrefflichen Gattin vollkommen erstarkt sind und jene Ruhe sich gönnen, welche es möglich machen wird, die längst gepflückten Lorbeeren Ihres Ruhmes noch lange selbst fortgrünen zu sehen.

Mit der armen Mad Smillie, der ich Ihre Condolation mittheilte, tausche ich von Zeit zu Zeit Briefe aus. Bei ihrem tieffühlenden Gemüth und in ihrem verwittweten Leben muss die Arme den grossen Verlust den sie erlitt unbeschreiblich tief fühlen.

Mit ehrerbietigsten Grüssen

der Ihre,

Ferd. von Mueller

Melbourne,

Royal botanic Garden,

The Melbourne Botanic Gardens was not granted a Royal Charter until 1958. M probably wished to emphasise that it was the Government garden — which meant that, technically speaking, it was the Queen's — and that his position was therefore an official one.

3/3/68.

It was a real day of rejoicing for me, Excellency, when recently together with letters from the noble Martius and other illustrious savants another letter from your kind hand arrived,

Letter not found.

and I must esteem your kindly condescension of writing to me all the higher, as in your exalted position,

Hügel was Austrian Ambassador at the Court of Brussels.

at your venerable age, and in the midst of your flourishing family the distant stranger has no claims on the sparse leisure hours of your Excellency. I shall shortly have opportunity to publish the kind note that Marianthus was dedicated to the Countess Metternich, and I am quite proud of this permission to make this dedication more generally known, especially as my learned friend, Professor Wittstein, had misinterpreted the origin of the name.

B77.08.01, p. 97. Marianthus was named from Hügel’s specimens in Endlicher (1837b), p. 8, but without any information about the person eponymized. Wittstein (1856), p. 557 does not treat it as an eponym. See M to C. von Martius, 3 March 1868, where M reports, on the authority of a letter from von Hügel, that the person honoured was Princess Maria Melanie von Metternich. M published the origin of the name in B77.08.01, p. 97.

Among the Marianthus fragments that you had the kindness to accept was, I believe, none of M. coerulo-punctatus, a species I collected personally a few months ago between King George's Sound and the Stirling Ranges.

During M's visit to King George Sound and vicinity, WA, in October 1867. There is no entry for such a specimen in MEL. A specimen of this species, MEL 0065846A, was collected at 'Brook of the Serpentine River' on 1 December 1877, i.e. near the end of M’s second trip to WA.

I found only 2 or 3 flowers, but I am sending a twig, for the plant is so pretty with its white flowers with the cyan-blue speckles.

Would you be so kind, noble Sir, to inform me, if the genus was dedicated to Sir William Macarthur of Camden, or perhaps to General Macarthur (brother of the preceding), or the Commander McArthur of Port Essington (Arnhem Land)?

was named in Endlicher (1837c), p. 11, without identifying the person eponymized, from specimens collected by Hügel. Quattrocchi (2000), vol. 3, p. 1574, asserts without documentary evidence that the genus was named in honour of William Macarthur (1800-1882), horticulturist; Sharr (2019), p. 95, concurs.

I have almost completed the 6th volume of the Fragmenta, it will reveal much that is beautiful and striking among Australia's vegetation. I am also just delivering the rest of my materials and my notes for the 4th volume of Bentham's work on the universal vegetation of Australia.

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 4.

Although we have now arrived at the families treated by Robert Brown in his golden Prodromus,

R. Brown (1810).

in the 60 years passed since then the number of genera and species have doubled and tripled, while we are able to provide for the first time a more accurate distribution of the species and more detailed definition of the characters.

May I hope, that Your Excellency has fully gathered strength in the wonderful sea breezes and under the care of your excellent wife, and allow yourself the rest, that will make it possible for you to see the long ago gathered laurels of your fame continue to flourish for a long time yet.

I exchange letters from time to time with poor Mrs Smillie and have passed your condolences on to her.

Mrs Smillie, widow of SA’s former Advocate General, William Smillie, was Hügel’s sister-in-law. Her son William had died on 23 October 1867, aged 17.

With her deeply sensitive nature and in her widowed state the poor lady must feel the great loss she suffered indescribably deeply.

With most respectful regards

your

Ferd. von Mueller.