Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS found with a specimen of Citronella sp. (MEL 2240573), collected by Fawcett in 1879 at Richmond River, NSW, as Villaresia sp. MS annotation by M: 'Answ 11/5/79'. Letter not found.

Ballina.

2

NSW.

29/4/79.

My dear Baron,

I have just received your letter respecting Eucalipti.

3

Letter not found.

I shall be happy to do my best, but do not see my way as to the seedlings — I am terribly at sea as to these same trees, as there are apparently so many names for them, — and, as to local names, they vary in a most absurd manner — Sometimes at the distance of a few miles they are altered — I do not know whether you received my letter referring to "the Forest Mahogony"

4

MS annotation by M: 'E. microcorys'. Letter not found.

as called here, but I have, I hope, explained its description pretty well. I cannot arrive at its proper name — We have a tree here (a sea coast tree) growing in swampy ground, generally in tea tree swamps, which is called "Swamp Mahogony".

5

Marginal note by Fawcett, with its intended position indicated with an asterisk: 'timber red — good in wet places —'. MS annotation by M: 'E. botryoides or E. robusta'.

It has a deeply furrowed persistent bark, at a distance resembling rough Ironbark but with a rusty hue. I have imagined it to be E. robusta, and would be glad to know if I am right. We have Blue gum E. saligna, Flooded Gum which grows very tall and straight on banks of rivers and on edges of brushes high up creeks — sometimes of a great hight & size — supposed to be rostrata. Iron bark, at least 2 kinds — Spotted gum, maculata, of immense size on the Clarence — moderate here. Messmate — Tereticornis (a splendid timber, coast). I do not remember the tree from which the specimen came, you called resinifera, but think I can find it — Forest Mahogony — Swamp Mahogony — the last two referred to above — Box, a grey looking tree with peculiar dark grey bark and about the butt sometimes large, but generally not so — & not common, local — bark is used, where Messmate, usually called Stringybark, is not to be got — Blackbutt

6

Marginal note by Fawcett, with its intended position indicated with an asterisk: 'Qy [Query?] pilularis —'.

at Tweed, much used for ship building, — planking chiefly — I confess myself terribly at sea about the correct names for most of those — I enclose a spray of a tree a black cut in mistake ! today, and I don't know — At present I am terribly busy — and rather in a fix, as instructions have not yet come as to size, &c, of specimens — so that I can do nothing but get the felling done. Are there not two Sloaneas a large tree —

Sloanea australis

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— & Maiden's blush, a small, pinkish when cut? Synuon

7

Synoum? See also C. Fawcett to M, 14 November 1879.

glandulosum seems to grow larger on mountains than in the low ground — I am rather confused about the tree with the oblong fruit stone (Red Tamarind) and some now think that the flower sent to me, which I sent on to you, was that of the Yellow Tamarind,

Diploglottis Cunninghamii

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If you can help me in my perplexity I shall feel gratiful. I should have sent you what looked like a holly but I lost the branchlet — a black said it grew large — a second specimen I enclose somewhat resembles

Pseudomorus Brunoniana

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— It sometimes grows into an impenetrable bush but I never saw fruit or flowers on it.

Baron F. von Mueller

&c&c&c.

Melbourne.

P.S. They say they have E. amygdalina (stringy bark) on the Clarence, also E. crebra.