The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne ¶ 11/8/73 ¶ Private ¶ ¶ The Case with the Orchideae is in the Bay here, dear Mr Bentham, but I shall only be able by next mail to acquaint you with the state of its contents, doubtless unin...

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Physical location:

RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1871-81, ff. 108-9. 73.08.11a

Plant names

Catapha
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Cyperaceae
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Glumaceae
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Gramineae
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Junceae
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Liliaceae
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Orchideae
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Siebera
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham, 1873-08-11 [73.08.11a]. 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/1870-9/1873/73-08-11a-final.odt>, accessed June 5, 2026

Melbourne

11/8/73

Private

The Case with the is in the Bay here, dear Mr Bentham, but I shall only be able by next mail to acquaint you with the state of its contents, doubtless uninjured as in all except one of the former Cases. You must kindly let me know, when you wish me to send Liliaceae, and allied Orders. They fill two large boxes. also one and an other large box. & can be sent at any moment, but the true are still under preliminary examination, many having been added since my last revisal.

For M's main treatment of the before sending them to London, see B73.11.03, B73.12.01; for , see B74.10.01, pp. 249-52, B74.11.01, pp. 255-74.

If I do not fall seriously ill, which may easily be the case, as Mr Edw. Wilsons and Mr M'Kinnons & Spower's men and many other traducers both in high and low quarters give me even no peace in my private rooms, I shall finish off , before you will have finished with the liliaceous & Juncaceous plants. I can do this sort of work in my private hired rooms, as I can have there the few necessary books. Since I am suddenly driven (after 21 years) out of my Office Home, the Gov Library is in my Museum, from which it is attempted now to take it away from my control; the greater part of my costly private Library, on which I spent about £1000, is in a hired store room and therefore inaccessible to me. As I spent all my means in the Department, (never speculating &c) I have none to furnish a House of my own, even if not the morsel of official position (as Gov. Botanist without the bot Garden) may not any moment be taken from me, when our Legisl. Assembly is prorogued (after next month) on the plea of economy or any other excuse! I wonder that Mr Darwin, who so gloriously & so successfully headed the defense of Dr Hooker,

See MacLeod (1974).

could not exercise the least influence on Mr Edw Wilson, his next neighbour, in my case.

Edward Wilson settled at Hayes, in Kent, in 1868 and died there in 1878. Hayes is about 6 km NNW of Downe, Darwin's village.

I modestly and respectfully applied to Mr Francis, who is now my Ministerial Chief for £150 for a Field Assistant for this year and for £150 for a Laboratory Operator, as I cannot do all mechanical or routine work with my own Hands.

M to J. Francis, 23 June 1873 and M to J. Francis, 10 July 1873; W. Odgers to M, 14 July 1873.

But altho' the Observatory for its comparatively limited operations (exclusive of the Directors Salary) gets £3000, I am refused anything over my £300 for the whole Department (including the £100 for the next vol of the Flora). A Pension is after 21 years incessant work refused me,

See M to J. Francis, 18 June 1873. It is not clear that the request was formally refused, but Francis's minute on the letter ignored the request. M stated that he could not afford to survive on the pension that would be due to him (M to J. Francis in a private note dated 'Sunday' — almost certainly 15 June 1873).

and without means, help, apparatus, mechanism, everybody comes to me for gratuitous official information as if nothing had happened

Ever your regardful

Ferd. von Mueller

The valediction and the remainder of the text are written in the margins of the pages.

House Rent is added to my modest Salary but I shall not be able to save anything as I am departmentally starved out and all things are expensive here

I have taken refuge in a Hotel, where I have my private rooms.

My position may of course any moment improve but I write as it is now. At present the Counsels of the "Oracle of Fitzroy Park"

Clement Hodgkinson?

prevail

I see your & Reichenbachs [s]

Obscured by binding strip.

must become Cataphas now

Catepha? The Umbelliferous Reichenbach and Catepha (as an unpublished name by Leschenault) are listed in A. P. de Candolle (1830), p. 72 as synonyms of Trachymene.

Will you kindly support my proposition of the exalting R. Fitzgerald Deputy Surveyor General, Sydney as F.L.S.