The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 16/2/79 ¶ I write a few lines to you, dear Dr Beccari, assuming that by this time you have quietly settled down at your post in Florence, and altho' ¶ ¶ you will not rest on your ¶ ¶ " ¶ laurels ¶ "...

Document information

Physical location:

University of Florence, Science Library: Botany, Archives, Beccari 12/32 79.02.16

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Odoardo Beccari, 1879-02-16. 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/1870-9/1879/79-02-16-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

16/2/79

I write a few lines to you, dear Dr Beccari, assuming that by this time you have quietly settled down at your post in Florence, and altho' you will not rest on your " laurels ", you will doubtless now — after having faced so many dangers and earned so much "glory" — proceed to publish regularly your researches, and enjoy the quietness of settled literary life with — I hope — a happy household.

I look forward with much interest to the continuation of your important "Malesia".

Beccari (1877-90).

Recently I have reviewed a small collection of plants from Mr Goldie and several other collections from the missionary The Reverend J. Chalmers. The specimens are mostly too imperfect for accurate examination, still I may manage to publish on them 16 pages more (No VI) of the Papuan plants.

Part VI of Papuan plants, B85.06.03, was not published for some time, and contained no plants contributed by Goldie.

The species, which I recognize are nearly all known, only about 3 or 4 new ones; and as your Papuan collections came all from the N. W. and those obtained for me are all from the S. E., it is not likely that we shall clash in any minor publication of mine.

Your Sumatra & Borneo collections must also be teaming

teeming?

with so much novelty that you can well afford to leave a few novelties to me. Kindly consider, that unless I can go on with the "Papuan plants", I shall have nothing to encourage the Missionaries to continue their sendings to me. Among the plants recently received from New Guinea are spec of the following genera not yet mentioned in my "Papuan plants": Oxalis, Mollinedia Aristotelia Gomphrena, Coccoloba, Alphitonia, Elatostemma, Carumbium, Chloranthus, Nauclea, Eryth[rinia]

uncertain transcription: interlined.

Vittadinia Centipeda, Dichrocephala, Crepis, Eranthemum, Physalis, Diospyros, Coleus, Spathoglottis, Dianella, Tacca, Smilax, Aneilema, Habenaria, Pennisetum, Sporobolus, Chionachne, Isachne, Ophioglossum, &c, (the sp. nearly all well known).

You will be sad to learn, that our generous friend, Chev. Marinucci, died suddenly last month from intestinal inflammation.

The Italian Consul-General to Australia died on 6 February 1879 (Argus, 7 February 1879, p. 5, col. a)

What a kind and excellent man he was, particularly attached to myself. I shall miss him very much indeed, and the Italian Government will find it difficult to obtain so excellent a Representative again.

With regardful remembrance your

Ferd. von Mueller.

When you send me any N. Guin, plants, then please send the Leguminosae first.

Marginal note, p. 1.

Dr Scheffer sent a large lot of Rubiaceae of Dutch India, but they [are] all described in Miquels volumes.

Marginal note, p. 2. Reference may be to Miquel (1855-9).

My best salutation to Dr Giglioli.

Marginal note, p. 3.

Alphitonia

Aneilema

Aristotelia

Carumbium

Centipeda

Chionachne

Chloranthus

Coccoloba

Coleus

Crepis

Dianella

Dichrocephala

Diospyros

Elatostemma

Eranthumum

Erythrinia

Gomphrena

Habenaria

Isachne

Leguminosae

Mollinedia

Nauclea

Ophioglossum

Oxalis

Pennisetum

Physalis

Rubiaceae

Smilax

Spathoglottis

Sporobolus

Tacca

Vittadinia