Melbourne 8 Octr 1852
My dear Mr Gunn —
Our corresponde[nce] is an intermittent one — but I trust that it will never altogether
cease. So you hear nothing from Owen about the skull — Perhaps he is as busy as I
am — & in that case he had an excuse for procrastination, tho it were the skull of
Tobits' Fish. — I never supposed the 'teeth' would have any great interest for you
as they were [...]
comparatively fresh. You judge rightly that I have not much time for natural history
— however my interest in it is unabated & I am always glad to get hold of any one
who knows anything about it & is observant. Such 'ingenious Birds' are very rare here
however. Swainson who has been exploring the Illawarra dist — wrote to me some time
since, stating that he had made an offer to the Govr Genl to examine & describe the
timber trees of the Colony, —
gums
more especially, — and that if not accepted, he should be glad to be employed in
a similar way in Victoria. I lost no time in trying to secure him, as I am sure he
will add to our knowledge of what we are, & what we have in many ways & N.S.W. having
rejected his offer, he comes here. There is an honest looking German here, Dr Müller,
who as far as I can judge seems to be more of a botanist than any man I have hitherto
met with in the Colony; and I shall give him every encouragt. — He has furnished me
with the description of the genus
Latrobea
of Meisner. Both the species brunonis & genistoides were formerly ranked as Pultenaea
it appears. I have no specimen but if I can procure any from any quarter, will take
care that you get it. He tells me that an exceedingly pretty dwarf acacia flowering
most abundant[ly]
in its native soil at Jolimont has been distinguished by my name also,
So you see I am likely to go down to posterity in another form [...]
that of the '
withering curse
' which the Democrats of P.P.
one time gave me — or that of the '
Flying Pieman
' which was bestowed by your choice Colonists of Tasmania! Good bye. Let me hear from
you again — Mrs Latrobe adds many kind regards to you & yours
yrs tly
C. J. Latrobe
