Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne,

6 June 1885.

The honorable Graham Berry, M.L.A.,

Chief Secretary.

Sir

I have the honor to solicit, that you will be pleased to permit the continuance of my small publication on New Guinean plants, of which 5 parts appeared from 1875-1877,

1

Collected as B77.13.14.

but which was discontinued for want of material. Latterly however, through the missionaries and some others additional plants have been obtained for a new part, which I should like to issue and thus resume this Governm. publication also, more particularly as the New Guinea Expedition, sent out by the geographic Society of Australia under the auspices of the Governments of Victoria and New South Wales, will actually start next week, so that likely much new material for the Papuan Flora will be obtained within the next months. Each part, as will be seen from the byefollowing book consists of only about one sheet , so that the continuation of this publication under your kind permission would tax the Gov. Printing Office only to a very small extent.

2

M's request was approved by Berry on 9 June, news of which M acknowledged 'with best thanks' on 10 June. The file was however not forwarded to the Government Printer until 15 July. On 17 July, H. Moore, acting for the Under Secretary, informed M of this, saying that the 'matter was at the time overlooked'. M responded 'with best acknowledgment' the next day. M had completed the text before the printer was notified, with the introduction dated 'June 1885', see B85.13.33.