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RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1871-81, f. 199. 77.07.07a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham, 1877-07-07 [77.07.07a]. 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/1870-9/1877/77-07-07a-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

7/7/77.
I am glad to learn from your last letter,
1
See G. Bentham to M, 30 April 1877.
dear Mr Bentham, that the 7th vol
2
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7.
is progressing so rapidly. So after all you adopt Drude's multitudinous genera for the palms.
3
See M to G. Bentham, 28 November 1876 .
After the large amount of labor spent by myself also on the
Gramineae

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, the work with them ought to be particularly easy for you, especially with General Munro's help, and as you are saved the enormous trouble, which arose to me in the absense of many authentic specimens. Kunth already showed, that at least 3 species passed as
Panicum brizoides

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4
Kunth (1833-50), vol. 1, pp. 77-8.
I often have enveyed you and Hooker for the facility of working with the aid of Linnés and other collections of authentic importance and I am sure, you will be charitable, if in the absense of such aid and of a complete library, I fell into errors. But I do not merely copy synonyms; every species of Grasses &c I have always compared with those in my very large extraaustral collection. I have now also
Panicum Myurum

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from North Queensland and will include it into the next number of the fragmenta.
5
Panicum myurus? M mentioned the presence of Panicum myurus in B77.10.02, p. 114.
Can you not put the
Macgregoria

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(
Stackhousiaceae

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) into Hookers icones, as it is typical for a new suborder.
6
Hooker's icones plantarum (1877-79), vol. 13, p. 24, t. 1230.
The new Ministry has placed me in communication with a Parliamentary Committee, who, I trust, will grant me at least an office house, some ground, votes, laboratory?
7
On 23 June 1877 the Chief Secretary, G. Berry, established a Board comprising L. Smith, J. Bosisto and M. King, to 'inquire into the present position of Dr. Mueller, in relation to his professional duties, with the view to advise, what alteration, if any, is necessary, to afford him reasonable facilities for the due discharge of his scientific labours'. For the committee's report, see L. Smith to G. Berry, 11 July 1877.
I have spent each of the last 4 years £500, to keep the wreck of the Department afloat, reducing a nominal income of £800 to an actual of £300 in this expensive country. I cannot see, what harm it would have done, if Hooker or you had even merely to myself written a single letter which I could have shown to M. P. expressive of your professional views of a Directors position. Sir Will Hooker would have done it for me.
Regardfully
Ferd. von Mueller
How is it, that we find
Acacia Farnesiana

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common in Central Australia?
In the bot Garden with hardly any new show and much destruction £60 000 are spent in the last 4 years, against £1500 in the last 4 of my Directorship & science and supplies
8
In his first monthly report as Curator of the Botanic Garden, in August 1873, William Guilfoyle complained about the great amount of time lost in forwarding plants to other institutions and urged that 'the entire energies of the workmen should be confined to rendering the garden what it ought to be'. Such distributions were covered by a new regulation introduced on 28 April 1873, while M was still Director of the Garden, stating that 'in future no distribution of any kind of plants therefrom shall be made without the authority of the Minister of Agriculture' (Victoria Government Gazette, 2 May 1873, p. 715). Since in subsequent annual reports Guilfoyle made no further mention of distributing plants in the way M had done, it would seem that the practice quickly ceased. However, no further change in the relevant regulation has been found.
have ceased there since.