Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne

7/9/78.

The honorable Graham Berry, Chief Secretary

Sir

I have the honor to ask respectfully, whether it would meet with your approbation to open up a communication with the Governments of New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, to continue for either a supplement of the Flora Australiensis

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Bentham (1863-78).

or for a new abridged but supplemented edition of that work the subsidy of £50 - - per volume, which was granted by each of these three Governments for the Flora to be printed in London, the Victorian Government having contributed £100 towards the expenses of each volume.

You will perhaps allow me to draw your attention to the preface in the 7th vol. of the Flora, where Mr Bentham says: "the additional species (since 1863) have been described by Baron Von Mueller in his Fragmenta and it is to be hoped he will consolidate them into a methodic synopsis" (i. e. supplement.) I am myself in favor of the issue of an abridged new flora for the sake of facility of working with such publications, and also with a view of effecting the alterations & corrections, which since the last 15 years I have made in the main work, irrespective of the extensive additions.

It will be for your favorable consideration, whether we ought not to keep the intended new publication of the plants of all Australia in our own hands, instead of becoming dependent of

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on?

the other colonies and obliged to supply them in proportion to their subsidy with free copies. The whole could be pressed into 3 volumes, each would need two years (of my spare time) for elaboration and each of which could be brought out for the same subsidy afforded to Mess Lovell Reeve through Mr Bentham.

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On 26 December 1878, Berry marked 'Approved' in the margin of M's letter. See also M to G. Berry, 3 January 1879. However, the proposed work did not proceed.

A work of such magnitude could hardly be produced as a bye-work by our Governm. Printing office, and I would strongly advise that, if it met at all with your approval, it should be published by tender of a private printer.