Ferdinand von Mueller

1

The letter is numbered F86/8274 within this file. MS written by G. Luehmann and amended and signed by M. The file also contains a typewritten copy of this letter. M's letter was published in the Argus on 28 August 1886 (B86.08.04).

Melbourne, 21st August 1886

Sir

Observing in the Argus of this day a letter in reference to the second part of the "Key to the system of Victorian plants",

2

On 15 August 1886 'Student' wrote to the Editor of the Argus that after seeing Part 2 of the Key: 'the Government may as well save further expense for all the use the book will be in our state schools'. 'Student' criticized the illustrations for having been used before and for not being of common plants. 'I do not deny that the illustrations are of value to the advanced botanist, but that is not what was wanted. It was desired, I believe, to have a text book in the simplest possible form that the Baron would condescend to write it, and illustrated by representations which any of the elder children in our state schools would recognise at a glance ... It is a sad disappointment to some who had looked forward to having a thoroughly practical key, but after reading the Baron's Botanic Teachings [B77.08.01] and School Botany [?B79.06.04] neither of which works has, I believe, been a success as a generally useful educational work, it was, perhaps, too much to hope for better things for the key. ... It is a remarkable fact that, out of the 152 illustrations, no less than 67 represent plants which the Baron was the first to describe, so that the well-known initials "F.v.M." become a weariness to the eye. The Baron seems to be so much in love with those plants, of which he is, so to speak, the godfather that he had selected them, rather than plants which we may all find easily, as illustrations for a text-book for botanical beginners.' (Argus, 21 August 1886, p. 5).

I deem it but right to offer some explanatory remarks on the supposed shortcomings of this work, as it is a Government's publication.

3

See also M to T. Wilson, 21 August 1886 (in this edition as 86-08-21a), in which M seeks permission to send his reply to the Argus for publication.

In first instance I would observe, that the providing of woodcuts of an elaborate kind involves under any circumstances very considerable expenditure, even in European countries; Dr. Baillon thus

4

for instance deleted by M and replaced with thus.

in a letter to myself by last mail

5

Letter not found.

refers to the costliness of the woodcuts of his "Dictionnaire de botanique", now under progress in Paris.

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Baillon (1876-92).

In adopting xylographic illustrations therefore, it is always an object, to re-use the woodblocks, so as to render the illustrations comparatively cheap in the end; consequently 57 blocks, which were prepared formerly for the little elementary school-book "Introduction to Botanic Teaching",

7

B77.08.11.

were employed again for the present "Key"; but as the number of plates for the latter amounts to 210, (two in many instances being devoted to one plant,) the majority had to be prepared additionally for this Key. In a large number of cases the drawings were taken from the quarto-works "Plants of Victoria",

8

Presumably B62.03.03 and B65.02.06.

because the choice then made for thus illustrating orders and genera rather than any particular species, has been considered by fair critics a good one, and saved the cost of preparing

9

the cost of preparing added by M.

new original drawings ample analytic dissections always being given.

10

ample … given. added by M.

Thus an alpine Buttercup (Ranunculus) illustrates the genus and order, to which it belongs, as well as any lowland-species; and I would further add, as particular objection was taken to this plate, that the several kinds of "Buttercup", occurring in the lowlands, are mostly very different in appearance from each other, one being a submerged floating aquatic; besides all our common Ranunculi have been previously illustrated in other works elsewhere.

11

elsewhere added by M.

It was out of the question, to figure any large share of common plants, as the number of Victorian species is altogether 1852, leaving even

12

even added by M.

Mosses, Lichens, Fungi and Algae out of account. Moreover of a good many orders, which are illustrated, only one or two species occur in Victoria, hence there was not much or no

13

or no added by M.

choice. Among the illustrations will be found many species of plants, to be found in or almost in the vicinity of Melbourne: thus among such the Sundew, Pelargonium, Sneezeweed, Misletoe,

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Mistletoe?

Milkwort, Sheoak, various coast Saltbushes, Pigface, Raspberry, two Gumtrees, Honeysuckle, Cypress-pine Statice, Waterlily, Gungang and some other aquatics a few Rushes and numerous Ferns, while very many others represent genera occurring in the neighbourhood of the metropolis. If my name through early discoveries under endless dangers and difficulties became largely connected with the Victorian Flora, then the same can be said of R. Brown,

15

Robert Brown (1773-1858), who described many Australian, including Victorian, plants.

and for Europe, and even here of Linnaeus without need of evoking disparing

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disparaging?

remarks, particularly from any one in Victoria

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If my … Victoria added by M.

In bringing out illustrations for any kinds of botanic works, it is always desirable, to strive at originality, and not to choose plants for delineation, which have been illustrated before

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in Britain or deleted by M after before.

elsewhere. I freely admit that, some oversights have occurred in the part of the Key already issued; thus the quotations of the respective numbers of the last woodcuts were omitted, and a few plants were accidentally left out altogether in the list; this will be remedied in the part of the Key now under preparation, when also the additional species will be inserted, which may yet be discovered this season as new for Victoria, particularly in remoter regions. The larger work "Native Plants of Victoria", of which a portion appeared some time ago early to be continued,

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B79.06.04. early to be continued added by M. No further part of this work was published.

and to which "Student" alludes, is in its scope and elaboration very similar to Sir Joseph Hooker's excellent

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excellent added by M.

"Students Flora of the British Islands",

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J. Hooker (1878a).

except that ours is illustrated, and that far less of strictly botanical terms are used, and that synonymy is omitted;

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and that synonomy is omitted added by M.

— whereas the little unpretensive work "Botanic Teaching" follows somewhat the lines of the admirable elementary publication, issued in Britain by the Revd. Professor Henslow for the very beginners.

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Henslow (1880).

Furthermore it seems an ample allowance, when it is shown,

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when it is shown added by M.

that about half the species, illustrated in the Key, occur in the southern region, to which Melbourne belongs, especially as a book of this kind is expected to serve all parts of the colony, each division having allotted to it a fair share while what is common at Melbourne is not always frequent elsewhere.

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while … elsewhere. added by M.

The whole however is tentative, and was not urged for the state-schools, but more particularly for the Field Naturalists Club, and somewhat

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somewhat added by M.

against my own opinion as to the plan, — the dichotomous method, — adopted by the late meritorious Revd Mr. Spicer for the flora of Tasmania,

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Spicer (1879).

mainly from works of Hooker, Bentham and my own. Nor is Spicer's book specially written or intended for school-children. Moreover the dichotomous method is not readily applicable to the natural system nor to large areas, therefore hardly now anywhere

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now anywhere added by M.

in use in any European country, and at best it is only a key to larger works, for which also, — so far as Victoria is concerned, — ample provision has been made long ago by the Flora Australiensis

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Bentham (1863-78).

and other extensive publications.

The Honorable Alfred Deakin, MLA,

Chief Secretary