Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given here is from a report of a lecture on 'Our native grasses' given by W. H. Bacchus to the Ballarat Farmers' Club on 16 March 1872 (Leader [Melbourne], 23 March 1872, p. 7), a continuation of the lecture he presented to the Club on 17 February 1872 (see M to W. Bacchus, 1872 (in this edition as 72-00-00)). In the lecture, Bacchus referred to other communications from M besides the one mentioned here and identifications of grasses by him, almost certainly in a series of letters. The date given here is the latest that M could have written to him before the lecture.

[In pursuing my investigations I find great difficulty from the want of some standard work of reference upon the subject of colonial grasses. Baron von Müller is the only person to whom I can have recourse for information; latterly he has not had time to assist me in identifying specimens. He writes that he gave the names of about eighty species observed by him in Victorian territory in his reports to Parliament in 1853 and 1854.

2

B53.10.01, B54.10.01.

What an advantage it might have been to the grazing interest and persons like myself who have not always the requisite time for analysis, if these particulars had been made public. The Baron writes that the 7th volume of his work on Victorian plants, which treats of the grasses, will probably be published in 1874.

3

Bacchus has misinterpreted the work to which M referred; it is clearly Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, in which the Australian grasses are described on pp. 449–670.

In reply to a letter asking for further information

4

Letter not found.

he writes, "If a sufficiency of subscribers could be found I would issue a collection of dried grasses with printed names for the use of squatters, &c, the price about £1 for fifty species."

5

See n. 1 to M. to W. Bacchus, 1872 (in this edition as 72-00-00). At the April meeting of the Club, 'Mr Bacchus exhibited two very neat specimens of native grasses, dried and attached to paper. He said they were samples to: show what Dr Müller proposed to do, viz., to issue at £1- each books containing fifty specimens of native grasses duly named. The specimens exhibited by Mr Bacchus showed roots, leaves, and bloom of the grasses, and were really pretty pictures in themselves, apart from their interest and value to the farmer. Several members of the committee spoke approvingly of the project.' (Ballarat star, 8 April 1872, p. 4). M’s proposal did not, however, go ahead: he did not issue exsiccatae of grasses.

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