Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne,

29/10/81.

To the honorable J. M. Grant, M.L.A.,

Chief Secretary.

Sir

I have the honor to submit, that I deem it desirable to publish a systematic list with literary and geographic annotations of the 12000 plants now known as indigenous to Australia. This index would be the foundation of a new edition of the Australian flora, which since its commencement 20 years ago has become very incomplete, and would also be an independent publication, complete — so far as its scope reaches — in itself, and would be a most convenient statistic work for botanic reference at all times. If the issue of this work should meet with your approval, a difficulty presents itself regarding its issue; the Gov. Printing Office is so fully occupied with routine and parliamentary work, that it would be impossible to get such a publication printed there as a byework, especially as the popular Victorian flora has yet to be finished there; so also the Eucalyptus Atlas, besides that the "fragmenta" and "Papuan plants" have to be continued. Under these circumstances I would pray for permission, that the printing of the list of the 12000 Australian plants with annotations should be entrusted to a private firm,

1

M to T. Wilson, 4 October 1882, included a request to approve an order.

as was the case with the Victorian edition of the "select plants for industrial culture"

2

B76.12.04.

some years ago. I should take every care, that the printing was done as cheaply as possible, and that good paper was chosen for the work. I estimate, that this intended publication will extend over 600 quarto-pages in three parts, and that the first part by continuous steady progress of printing could appear by the end of the present finance-year.

3

The only part that was issued is "Part 1 - Vasculares" (B83.03.04). The unpublished MS of a second part, a census of Australian cryptogams, is in the Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

It is not my intention, to ask the Government to provide an extravote for this work; but I will make every effort by close economy in the departmental expenditure to defray the cost of printing out of the votes at the disposal of my establishment, so far as the issue of the first of the three parts during the present financial year is concerned.

4

M's request was approved by Grant on 4 November 1881 and on the same day T. Wilson, Acting Under Secretary, sent the file to M 'to note the Chief Secretary's approval'. M returned the file 'with best thanks' the next day.

Each part would be complete, so far as it goes, and the printing of the second and third part would also be accomplished without a special vote.