Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M4, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 68.05.14

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

George Bentham to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1868-05-14. 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/1860-9/1868/68-05-14-final.odt>, accessed May 15, 2026

25, WILTON PLACE, S.W.
London
May 14 1868
My dear Sir
The day after last mail I received your box per Superb and immediately went through the
Stylidium

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Goodenovieae

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Epacrideae

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etc named them and packed up the whole of these supplementory parcels with the other
Epacrideae

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(all but five parcels which would not go in to the boxes) in two boxes which were despatched from Kew about ten days ago and of which the bill of lading will I have no doubt have been sent to you from Kew by this mail I found no new KGS species — but that was not to be expected that neighbourhood having been so thoroughly explored by Menzies Brown Labillardière Cunningham Fraser Collie Preiss Drummond Maxwell Oldfield Harvey Gilbert and others
1
King George Sound, WA. Robert Brown (1773-1858), Allan Cunningham, Charles Fraser, Alexander Collie, James Drummond (1784-1863), William Harvey, John Gilbert.
The True Briton is now arrived and I shall have the box by it in a day or two
2
True Briton arrived in the Thames on 13 May 1868 (Reading Mercury, 16 May 1868, p. 6).
I have to thank your for your letters of the 10th & 29th Feby — you ask about Mr Oldfield
3
See M to G. Bentham, 10 February 1868.
— I have heard nothing of him for the last twelvemonth. The year before last his death was in the papers but six months afterwards he reappeared at Kew
4
The death notice in The Times (London), 2 December 1865, was for Augustus L. Oldfield, 'late of Melbourne, Australia', who had died on 28 November 1865 'in the 34th year of his age, leaving a widow and two children to lament his loss'. The supposed death of the collector had been reported in J. Hooker to M, 2 December 1865 (in this edition as 65-12-02a).
— I gave him a copy of my Flora but have not seen him since the last vol. was out and know not now where to find him.
I have finished
Gentianeae

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and nearly gone through
Boragineae

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(both to be reviewed when your specimens come) — I have next
Convolvulaceae

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Solaneae

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and then the Personate orders —
Bignoniaceae

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Gesneraceae

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(
Cyrtandraceae

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)
Orobancheae

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Scrophularineae

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etc — then
Verbenaceae

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(including
Myoporineae

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) and
Labiatae

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if I have room for them but these Orders multiply so much more than I expected that I see I shall not get all the
Monopetalae

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into this vol. and the
Labiatae

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at least will have to stand over for the next
I began printing as soon as I had gone through your KGS supplementory plants Three sheets are now gone to press but I fear I shall not have the clean proofs time enough for this mail, but shall have a good lot for the next. I hope to go on steadily two sheets a week till I leave town in July. I am afraid you will find much fault with the
Stylidium

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but the extreme delicacy of the corolla prevents in most cases the ascertaining its precise shape from dried specimens. In the
Epacrideae

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there was no such difficulty — only the great tedium of having to examine the minute ovaries of almost every specimen.
Ever yours sincerely
George Bentham
Dr Ferd Mueller