Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M3, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 71.04.04a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Joseph Hooker to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1871-04-04 [71.04.04a]. 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/1870-9/1871/71-04-04a-final.odt>, accessed May 15, 2026

1
MS embossed with emblem of the Royal Gardens Kew.
P & O. St. V. Massilia
April 4 /71.
Dear Dr Mueller
I am on my way for a much needed relaxation to Tangier (via Gibraltar) where I shall spend some weeks & hope to get some good plants. I wrote you lately,
2
Letter not found.
but forgot to add that the Fraxinus you sent is either F. americana or F. viridis which are very closely allied species.
3
See M to J. Hooker, 16 December 1870.
I think I informed you that the contents of the cases by Capt Ridges were all dead except
Veronica Hulkeana

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&
Polygonum Cunninghamii

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. Your plan of canvas covered boxes has now uniformly failed, & I do not think it is worth the repetition; as was to be expected. The earth gets entirely burnt up during the passage through the tropics: & no doubt from want of moisture under the canvas they get burnt too. This seems to be the inevitable result. A tent is always frightfully dry & hot in the sun.
4
See M to J. Hooker, 10 October 1870.
I am very sorry to hear that your troubles regarding your position are not all over. I know from experience how difficult it is to secure & hold always the position which one would like to occupy — but these things are of the ups & downs of this world. No doubt had we turned our energies & our talents in other directions we should have made more of them — but then we should not have been so happy & contented with ourselves.
I will gladly add the title of Director to your letters
5
See M to J. Hooker, 6 September 1870 (in this edition as 70-09-06a).
— if I omit it, it is for brevity' sake & so long as my own letters reach me I am indifferent how they are addressed!
I am glad to hear that you are progressing with the Florula of Lord Howes' Island — I wish that you could visit that interesting group yourself.
6
No letter from M to Hooker refering to progress with the Lord Howe Island plants has been found, but see M to G. Bentham, 22 April 1870. M had published species jointly with C. Moore in B70.04.01 and listed other species from Lord Howe Island there and in B70.12.03.
I am sure that we have still duplicates of America plant that would be useful to you; but the time to select them is what we want — how I wish that you could come over here & take your pick!
Bentham is working at
Compositae

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for Genera Plantarum & I at Rubiaciae. — That rigid leaved
Coprosma

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? with connate flowers (I forget its name) from the North is surely not of that genus
Most try yr
Jos D Hooker.