Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Date stamped twice: Royal Gardens Kew 3 Oct 1887.

17/8/87

When in the latter part of the year, dear Mr Dyer, I shall have finished the “Key to the syst. of Vict. plants”,

2

B88.11.02.

I will first of all elaborate Mr Forbes dicotyledonous plants from New Guinea,

3

M had agreed with the British Museum (Natural History) on responsibilities for describing the plants collected in New Guinea by Henry Forbes in 1885 and 1886, meaning that he would describe the dicotyledonous species; see W. Carruthers to M, 1 March 1886.

a not quite complete set of which came to me in return for the subsidy, given to Mr F. (£500 - - ) by the Royal Geogr. Soc of Australia on my proposition as President of the Vict. branch. I shall then most willingly divide any specimen, admitting of division, and thus share the set with Kew.

4

I shall then ... with Kew is marked with a red pencil line in the margin and annotated above that: Prof 0. / Oliver has added Good D.0.

I should like very much, that in autumn, when this letter will arrive, your Establishment would send me in a small close box as ordinary merchandise nailed down, a plant of Vaccinium Myrtillus,

5

Vaccinium Myrtillus is underlined in red pencil.

which then will be in a dormant state.

6

Annotation in red ink next to ‘in a small ... Myrtillus’: Seeds sent 29-10-87.

See M to D. Morris, 10 December 1887.

I am satisfied, if a common wooden box without metal-lining is chosen, and the plant is dried of superficial moisture and without earth is partially placed horizontally into some almost dry sphagnum, it will arrive quite alive, and I could then take it at once to our sub-alpine country.

This experiment, even should it fail would cost little and could be recorded in your Bulletin

7

Paragraph written in left margin, f. 227 front.

How easy will it be to those coming after us, when they can use tens of thousands of illustrat[.]

8

Paragraph written in central margin f. 227 back.