The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: On board of the Mail-Steamer "Assam", ¶ Newyearsday 1878 ¶ ¶ When your last kind letter arrived, dear Dr Hector, ¶ I was just on the eve of my departure to West-Australia for phytographic purposes, ...

Document information

Physical location:

Folder 2, box 64, James Hector, correspondence received, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Archives, Wellington. 78.01.01

Plant names

Phylloglossum
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Thmesipteris
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to James Hector, 1878-01-01. 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/1870-9/1878/78-01-01-final.odt>, accessed May 15, 2026

On board of the Mail-Steamer "Assam",

Newyearsday 1878

When your last kind letter arrived, dear Dr Hector,

Letter not found.

I was just on the eve of my departure to West-Australia for phytographic purposes, and I had just time to enquire for you at the Melbourne club prior to my departure, but you had not arrived.

Hector arrived in Hobson's Bay per Mangana from Launceston, Tas, on 3 October 1877 (Age, 4 October 1877, p. 2). He arrived back in New Zealand, via Sydney, per Wakatipu, on 20 November 1877 (New Zealand mail (Wellington), 24 November 1877, p. 11).

Thus I was deprived of the great pleasure of meeting you personally again after so many years.

M met Hector in Melbourne in 1862, when Hector was going to New Zealand to explore geologically the Province of Otago; see M to J. Haast, 16 March 1862.

Perhaps the opportunity may still arise in Melbourne, or perhaps I may touch some day passingly at Wellington and shall then be sure to look for you.

As it is, we shall not be able to discuss viva voce the project of reissuing the "select plants".

B76.12.04. No NZ edition was published. For M's earlier proposals for such an edition, see, for example, M to J. Hector, 10 August 1874; G. Cooper to M, 6 October 1874 (in this edition as 74-10-06b); M to G. Cooper, 3 November 1874; and M to G. Grey, 12 July 1877.

I hope still it will be done there under your kind editorship and slightly changed title, so that no colonial jealousy can arise. As said before, additional notes can be supplied, to render the N.Z. edition more complete than that of Victoria.

I hope you enjoyed your excursion to the Australian Colonies, and were able to turn your time to some advantage for yourself also. I went on horse-back from Champion-Bay to Shark Bay, mostly over new phytographic lines, thence to the Upper Greenough, beyond York again, down to Geograph Bay, thence to the lower Shannon and to King George's Sound,

All in WA.

in all 1500 miles, 900 of which on horseback, the rest by special conveyance. As I anticipated I did not observe much novelty, but I was able to trace numerous species over a much wider geographic area, than that previously known, and I had also many opportunities of improving the diagnosis of numerous species.

Is there anything I can do for you? I have occasionally seeds, which might prove valuable in New Zealand, but do not know what you possess already.

With regardful remembrance,

Ferd. von Mueller.

Can you kindly send me some fresh spores of &

Tmesipteris?