Ferdinand von Mueller

S. Yarra,

1

Melbourne.

5/9/96.

Ch. Topp Esqr M.A., F.L.S.

Under Secretary

Sir,

I have the honor to report, that the second part of the "Key to the System of Victorian plants

2

B86.04.05. There is no closing quotation mark.

is now no longer available at the Government Printing Office, as I learn this morning from that establishment, the supply being exhausted merely by sale, the book having gradually become known far and wide. Part I containing the very difficult elaboration dichotomously of the about 2000 vascular species of our colony and their genera and orders was completed only in 1888,

3

B88.11.02.

whereas part II appeared already with the numerous woodcuts in 1885,

4

Title page has 1885; but the earliest reference to its being ready is in M to P. Dattari, 14 April 1886: 'Probably some early copies of the 200 woodcuts of the "Key" will be distributed at the annual meeting of the [Field Naturalists'] Club [of Victoria]'. Copies were circulated on 20 April at the Annual Meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club (Argus, 22 April 1886, p. 5).

so that II became earlier sold out than I. As the demand for either part will be very great during the spring-season, I would solicit, that the honorable the Chief Secretary and yourself take into favorable consideration the desirability of the second edition of part II being early brought out at the Govern Printing Office, especially so as the work even without having ever been advertised will come more and more into demand and therefore a large sale of the book will continue. Since the dozen years, when I wrote part II, I have made numerous additions to the geographic and other notes, added about 40 species as indigenous, augmented the woodcuts by about one dozen. Thus all is ready for a new augmented issue.

5

The proposed new edition was never published.

Part II being less extensive than part I will be not costly to be produced, as I would recommend that not above 1000 copies be brought out.

6

On 19 October 1896, Topp minuted: 'This request was withdrawn by a subsquent letter May be p. a. [put aside?]'. The subsequent letter referred to has not been found.