The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Dear Sir, — ¶ On several occasions you have shown me the favor of advocating requests of mine in your valuable paper, that settlers in the far inland districts of Australia should be animated to coll...

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Physical location:

85.06.00a

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to the Inquirer and Commercial News, 1885-06 [85.06.00a]. 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/1880-9/1885/85-06-00a-final.odt>, accessed June 17, 2026

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Letters to the Editor, Baron von Mueller on the Flora of Australia', Inquirer and commercial news (Perth, WA), 17 June 1885, p. 5 (B85.06.05).

Dear Sir, —

On several occasions you have shown me the favor of advocating requests of mine in your valuable paper, that settlers in the far inland districts of Australia should be animated to collect specimens of the various plants occurring in their vicinity, with the view of my obtaining more material for tracing the regional distribution of the species further throughout Australia. Such material can, to any considerable extent, only be brought together by the multifarious and persevering exertions of the local inhabitants, who can best watch in their walks or occasional excursions the native vegetation throughout the season; and as this year has been already benignly blessed by rains, we may expect a glorious spring-vegetation now very soon to push forth, so that probably many kinds of plants would be more readily obtainable than in other years. May I then solicit that this favorable season may be taken particular advantage of for procuring botanic specimens of all sorts, either in flower or fruit, either showy or ever so minute and apparently insignificant; indeed, among the latter would probably yet be many novelties, overlooked by collectors even in localities already, to some extent, searched for plants, while the smallest species are the easiest to forward. But the main object is to determine, from such sendings, more fully the geographic range of the various species, we even now not being precisely aware, for instance, how far the various mallees, the quadong and many other familiar plants of the south, are extending northward, or how far the bottle tree and other forms of the tropical eastern vegetation are advancing westward or southward. In a similiar

sic. This and subsequent mis-spellings may well be typesetter’s errors.

manner, salt bushes, all sorts of shrubs, everlastings, all the herbs and grasses, even the smallest weeds, require to be traced through their natural area. If any lady or gentleman, or even children, would secure some plants at their respective localities, for transmission, it would be a great help to me for advancing my work on the Flora of Australia. The drying of specimens in the inner regions of Australia is so particularly easy, and the sending, by the excellence of the postal arrangaments, is also not beset with difficulty or involving much expense, as small fragments of plants will suffice, provided they bear flowers or fruits. Absolutely as yet unknown forms of vegetable life are still to be gathered even close to the settlements, and, further more, the increse of novelty will be likely to be more as we advance still further inland.

With grateful rememberance of your kindness,

Yours truly,

FERDINAND VON MUELLER.

P. S. — I want, particularly, plants from near the sources of the Murchison River, also from far east of York, as well as from Eucla, Fraser Range and other distant eastern localities in your vast Colonial territory.

F. M.

M to Daily news (Perth), 11 June 1885, p. 3 (B86.06.09) is the same letter and is not repeated in this edition; M to the West Australian, June 1885 (in this edition as 85-06-00) is an extract. M may have sent the letter as a circular to several WA newspapers.