Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS written by G. Luehmann and signed by M.

MS stamped: 'COL SECRETARY'S OFFICE | TASMANIA | MAY 22 |1869'.

Melbourne botan. Garden

18 May 1869

Sir

I have the honor to inform you, that last summer I received from the Tasmanian Harbor Department, a package of the dry herb of Swainsonia lessertifolia

2

S. lessertiifolia?

for examination, that plant having proved injurious to cattle and horses in King's Island,

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King Island, Tas.

where indeed the sample was obtained. The total quantity of leaves and branches weighed 14 ounzes, and a carefully prepared cold infusion, and subsequently an infusion made with hot water, were administered to a sheep without, however, producing any deleterious effect. I am well aware that several Swainsoniae especially S. Greyana of the more interior parts of the Australian continent are justly dreaded by pastoral gentlemen as injurious to their herds and flocks, as manifested by the cerebral derangements, ending fatally, to which the animals feeding on these herbs become subject. It appears, however, that these losses occur only when the creatures browse on a preponderance of such herbs in seasons of aridity and perhaps for a lengthened period; and thus it may be that the quantity available and here administered was too small, and that consequently even after the lapse of several days the animal experimented on suffered in no manifest way.

My experiments with Swainsonia Greyana have given also negative results, perhaps because the material at my disposal was neither sufficiently copious to prolong the trial. Care was taken to prevent the animal to obtain any food to interfere with the effect of the Swainsonia.

I now respectfully suggest the propriety, that next season, when ever the symptoms of poisoning of horses and cattle present themselves again, at least 20 lbs weight of the dry herb should be secured at King's Island on the precise spot on which the plant proves hurtful and also at the exact time of the year when the evil effects show themselves. The quantity mentioned would then probably suffice to resume with success not only the experiment of administering the herb, but also to subject it to an exact chemical investigation. For this latter purpose alone several pounds weight of the carefully dried herb would be required in as much as any new organic analysis is surrounded with very great difficulty and needs thus ample material for operation. In some instances the poisonous principle of leguminous plants is most intensely concentrated in the seed, for instance in Laburnum, the Old-Calabar bean etc., and although this is not exclusively the case with the West Australian highly injurious Gastrolobiums, it merits still careful enquiry as regards the Swainsonias. I would therefore further submit the propriety of causing at least some ounzes of seeds of the species, growing at King's Island, to be secured, the plant occurring nowhere in the vicinity of Melbourne to obtain such seed. It may not be out of place to observe here, that S. lessertifolia is to be found also in various maritime localities of your north coast and of the isles of Bass' Straits, and thus the close examination of the herb will be not without practical importance to your colony, especially as the plant is perennial and therefore cannot be readily subdued. The examination of animals after death, when the experiment shall have attained that end, is expected to give a clue to the action of the poison, the analysis of the herb and seed an indication of its nature and both results will probably combine to devise means for rendering the poison inert by antidotes or other measures

I beg to avail myself of this opportunity to draw your consideration to the fact, that the vegetation of King's Island remains nearly unknown, and that it would be of great value for phyto-geographic purposes to become fully acquainted with the plants of that island. Such an examination would also add considerably to the material for the universal work on Australian plants,

4

Bentham (1863-78).

now under progress, for which I have made great exertions for 22 years in Australia and preparatory for a series of years before. In the few instances in which plants were secured by visitors of King's Island proof was obtained of the diversity of some of its trees and other plants from those of the main island of Tasmania, and it is not improbable, that many vegetable resources new for your territory may yet be disclosed there. Under these circumstances I feel justified in the cause of science and colonial progress to solicit, that any Government Officer residing in King's Island or visiting the locality may be instructed by your Government to secure a series of all plants occurring there, from minute mosses and the smallest herb to branches of shrubs and trees, either in flower or fruit with a view of elucidating the vegetation of this little known and yet comparatively extensive island. If duplicate collections of plants, pressed and dried between paper, were formed and one was deposited in the botanic garden or museum of Hobarton and one in the phytographic institution of my department, I would willingly supply the systematic appellations, and thus much information might be locally as well as universally diffused, while the names of the collectors would be recorded in my work. Suffice it to prove the desirability of further perserverance in the examination of the vegetation of the less inhabited or not yet explored part of Tasmania, when I remark, that within the last two years nearly 50 unrecorded plants have been added to those elaborated by Dr. Hooker in his large work,

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J. Hooker (1860).

not to speak of numerous observations on plants not formerly well known. It appears to me, that a circular to Magistrates, Surveyors and other official gentlemen, setting forth the requirements indicated, would have the effect of securing a vast amount of information and material regarding the Tasmanian Flora, which will prove of everlasting value, and although a trained observer may occasionally visit new spots, their main examination must rest with permanent local residents, who would not disdain to sacrifice an occasional spare hour for a disinterested purpose, even if such had only the claim of contributing to a small extent towards the knowledge of the world.

The honorable

The Colonial Secretary

Hobarton

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Dry forwarded M's letter to the Royal Society of Tasmania on 26 May 1869 with a request for advice (CSD7/28/296, Colonial Secretary's Office, Archives Office of Tasmania). The Society's Council discussed the matter and decided to recommend to Dry that Ronald Gunn be asked to collect a quantity of S. lessertifolia from the north coast of Tasmania and also that Edward Spong, Superintendent of the Lighthouse on King Island, be requested to not only obtain specimens of S. lessertifolia but also of all other plants growing on the island (Council minute book, 8 June 1869, RSA/A/4, The Royal Society of Tasmania Archives, Hobart). J. Wilson Agnew, the Society's Honorary Secretary, drafted a letter to Dry which was duly approved by the Council and sent to the Colonial Office on 16 June 1869 (Council minute book, 14 July 1869, RSA/A/4, The Royal Society of Tasmania Archives; CSD7/28/296, Colonial Secretary's Office, Archives Office of Tasmania).

Dry then sent both M's and Agnew's letters to Gunn on 18 June 1869 asking him if he could accede to their requests (A251 R. C. Gunn papers, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney; CSD7/28/296, Colonial Secretary's Office, Archives Office of Tasmania). Gunn replied that as he was going to be in Hobart soon he would discuss the matter with Dry in person. He added that he had gathered the plant for Sir William Hooker between 1835 and 1842 and had noted it to be in flower on 25 November 1836 so that it would be some months before he could collect flowering specimens for M. No further mention of this subject exists in the Archives Office of Tasmania or in the Royal Society of Tasmania Archives.