To William Hooker   18 October 1853

Botanic Gardens, Melbourne,

18. October 1853¹

Sir

The departure of his Excellency Governor Latrobe to England, an event which I deeply regret, affords me an opportunity of forwarding some collections, manuscripts and at lenght an answer to your kind letter,² which has been to me the source of great delight, not only for the benignant judgement of some of my labours, but also for the manyfold encouragements, which it contained. I have to thank you like-wise, Sir William, for the publication of the two general articles³ on the Australian Flora as well as for the transmission of your last valuable report, regarding the progress of your far famed gardens.⁴

I regret that, pressed by the want of time, I can not extend this communication as far as I desired, but I considered it more essential to finish for transmission to you, Sir William, this time as much manuscript on our flora as I could. It was my original plan to give of all yet undescribed plants an ample description; but after the Thalamiflorae, Corolliflorae and some Monochlamydeae were in this manner elaborated I perceived that I would be obliged to abandon the task this year, and either leave a considerable part of my collections untouched, or to adopt, as I did, a more speedy plan of operation. I have, accordingly, to get a clearer general view of our vegetation entered with regard to Calyciflorae part of Monochlamydeae, Monocotyledoneae & Acotyledoneae only into a more superficial examination for the purpose of drawing up an Index of what I had discovered this year.

Considering that this office was entrusted to me, when already the best part of the flower-season had passed,⁵ and that I was before only able to devote a spare hour now and then to my botanical pursuits, I trust, that you will be not quite uncontent with what is accomplished this year. I hope further that my next six-months expedition, for which I am preparing now, will bring the greatest part of the Victoria-Flora into my possession, and that by the ample means, which his Excellency has been pleased to devote to this journey, I shall have an opportunity of collecting on a larger scale, as I could before. I beg you will excuse, that amongst the specimens many are wanting, which are enumerated in my report.⁶ This had its reason either in the flower- and fruitless state of many plants at the time when I observed them, enabling me only to write their names down in my journal, or they had been previously collected by me in South Australia and were therefore not procured once more this first year. A considerable number of Duplicates from this Colony has been long before my appointment sent away to Dr Sonder on account of the want of room.

This collections as well as Mr Stuarts Tasmanian and my own extensive South Australian will be, I trust, of particular interest to you, and if Dr J. Hooker could spare a week or two for a trip to Hamburgh, I feel convinced, that out of Mr Charles Stuarts herbarium he would receive ample additional materials for his Flora of V. D. L.,⁷ and it will cause me great pleasure, if Dr Hooker will select a specimen of all those plants, which are of interest or new to him for your collections, may they be from Tasmania, N. Zealand or this continent.

My numerous letters besides to Dr Sonder⁸ will enable this gentleman to give ample information on many species. Had not, most unfortunately a large set of manuscripts been lost in the wreck of the Sir R. Peel,⁹ there would have been published by this time diagnoses of all new V. D. L and S. Australian plants. Some few descriptions of them I have restored this year from my scattered notes and I think the might be very properly annexed to the Victoria plants in the manner, as Mr Bentham has given publication to some of Bauers in Huegel enumeration.¹⁰

With regard to the transmitted manuscripts I beg to observe, that all those parts, on which you, Sir William, may have some scruples, should be for the present omitted from publication, and for this reason I have not numbered the pages, which always easily could be arranged in the printing office according to the Index, which accompanies my report.¹¹

How much I diverge in my opinion on the limits of many species will be proved by the numerous reductions. In nearly all this instances I either possess or have seen a complete series of intermediate specimens or I was according to the best of my believe, entitled to my conclusions by clear analogies. In the same degree as I continue to watch the indigenous plants in their polymorphous state, in the same manner I become convinced that in all natural orders the species are multiplied far above their natural limits. Reichenbach once observed, that if a certain species of his were not acknowledged, 20 000 others must be also abolished and he has, I think, spoken the truth against his intention.

I must further candidly confess, that I think Dunals last 900 Solana would be more naturally collected in 500 species.¹² —

No one can feel better than myself, how much my notes must be improved yet year after year or even before they pass through the press here and there by your masterhand; still I confidently hope, that I shall enjoy the indulgence of the botanists, as I stand here perfectly alone, without any aid, only scantily provided with books, without access to authentic specimens and even without a magnifying-glass, powerful enough to examine the anther appendices of Angianthea or the Embryon of many Pittosporae. In South Australia I was generally so little at liberty to pay attention to our favourite science, that for the sake of a general classification I was sometimes obliged to abstain from very special examinations and during the first years of my stay there I was also not aware, that your celebrated son had already described so many Tasmanian plants, which I believed to be unknown. But of all what I have written up to this time I can say truely it is my own; for I received only remarks from Dr Sonder on hardly more than a dozen of species, chiefly Compositae, having not yet received his monographia of my Compositae, which will be surely exquisite.¹³ I have however certainly to give additional remarks to their descriptions.

I beg to give an enumeration of those works, which were here to my command for my researches, as I would take the liberty in asking from your great kindness, to order for me such as would prove invaluable for me in the continuation of my labours. I possess: Kunth. en I-IV, R Br. I-V, Mitch. trop. Austr., DC prodr. I-XIII, DC syst. I-II, Walp. Sys. I-VI, Walp. ann. I-II, III 1-4, Hook. Lond. journ I, (1842), Hueg. enum, G. Don gen syst I-IV, Lehm pl. Preiss I-II. Pers. syn. I-II, Koch syn I-III — To vol. I-IV of the first series of your valuable journal and to vol. I-IV of your beautiful icones, in possession of a friend I have access. What I above all require, are the papers written by Asa Gray and by Turczaninow on Drummonds Compositae, then the 5th vol of Kunths enum, and all new special papers on Australian botany.¹⁴ If you, Sir William, would send a requisition of these to some of your booksellers, that they may forward them to a merchants house here, to which I could pay the amount, I would feel deeply obliged; and I would certainly thus receive them much quicker as from the continent.

Of the diagnoses which I have forwarded this time, a few have been also send to Hamburg last year; but even if these should have been published by Dr Sonder, I think they might be well reprinted in any of your esteemed periodicals, to have the series of communications on the Victoria Flora complete in one work. Amongst the rarities, which I have send this time, two lay more on my heart; i.e. Grevillea Victoriae and Basileophyta Friderici Augusti.¹⁵ The first is the most brilliant shrub, that I ever discovered (12' high and higher and I would venture to adorn it as a token of my loyality with the name of our most gracious Majesty, should this step be honored by the Queens sanction. The second is a most singular plant, but of which beauty the dried specimens convey only a very unsufficient idea. Should it not have been described after Nees Monographia¹⁶ appears I would feel exceedingly proud if Dr J. Hooker would spare an hour for giving an analysis to the drawing, which has been prepared by Mr Bateman, a splendid artist.¹⁷

The enclosed letter to the King of Saxony is intended to pray for his Majesty's permission, that his royal name might be bestowed on the plant and I would humbly desire that this letter accompanied by a dried specimen through the Ambassador should be forwarded and after his Majesty's consent a copy of the printed description and an illustration should be transmitted.¹⁸

I have despatched to Dr Sonder also lately a set of duplicates from my last journey, to be distributed occasionally and respectively amongst monographers, but I have send no manuscripts, being by no means content, that so many errors occurred in the printing of my diagnoses in the Linnaea (where for instance Picrophyta received instead of a 5-parted calyx a fourparted one).¹⁹ But as you Sir William, as well as your great son and the ingenious Bentham and Lindley are so fully occupied, I think it will be desirable that Dr Sonder or Prof. Kuetzing should describe the Algae and Mr Hampe the Mosses and Lichens,²⁰ and I feel sure, that these gentlemen will be happy to communicate their observations to that periodical of yours, into which you will be pleased to receive my notes.

Dr J Hooker will assuredly be agreably surprised, that I succeeded in discovering so many of his Tasmanian plants also in this continent and even a species of his antarctic Anisotome. On the identity of my Symphyomera Filicula with his I have some doubts, having not yet seen the Tasmanian plant. Should it show important differences, please let it be called S. Hookeri. My Tecoma Latrobei will be most likely drawn to Tecoma Australis, for which I shall be so very sorry as I have named it in acknowledgement of the kind support I received from my patron.²¹ I had, when I first named this plant no idea, that it is so extremely variable as I afterwards found it to be.

The intricate genus Eucalyptus requires great attention yet, and I think it is almost impossible to discriminate many species well without studiing them in this country. I have a great desire of preparing a monographia of this genus,²² could I only get authentic specimens. Could Dr J. Hooker spare some months for finishing such a monographia I will devote as much time to their investigation as I possibly can. Mr [Swain]son²³ has been engaged in their examination for years; but our views with regard to the limits of the species diverge so wi[dely]²⁴ that we could not cooperate, as I otherwise would have sincerely desired.²⁵

Amongst my ferns occurs a Polypodium new to me but very likely described by Dr J Hooker in the Flora of N. Zeeland, as it is native of that island too. I called it P. Kippistianum as a warm acknowledgement for the trouble this obliging gentleman took in translating so beautifully the two papers of mine.²⁶

I shall feel greatly indebted to Mr Bentham who kindly undertook to describe my Leguminosae if he would send me some copies of my papers thereon for distribution.²⁷

I have the honor to subscribe myself,

Sir William, your most

admiring and devoted servant

Ferd Mueller

Sir W. Hooker, K. H. &c &c

I beg to enclose the berry of Basileophyta Friderici Augusti, praying Dr J Hooker would examine the position of the embryo, as I have in vain tried to come to safe conclusion. My magnifying glass proved this time to be not powerful enough. Should the generic name of Cryptostemon already exist, I would propose its being altered in Strumistylus.²⁸

Perhaps his Excellency the Saxonian Ambassador would oblige me, by conveying his majesty's resolution regarding the Basileophyta to you, Sir William, so that the least possible delay may be caused for giving publicity to that interesting plant.²⁹

Acotyledoneae

Angianthus

Anisotome

Basileophyta Friderici

Augusti

Calyciflorae

Compositae

Corolliflorae

Eucalyptus

Grevillea Victoriae

Leguminosae

Monochlamydeae

Monocotyledoneae

Picrophyta

Pittosporum

Polypodium Kippistianum

Solanum

Symphyomera Filicula

Symphyomera Hookeri

Tecoma Australis

Tecoma Latrobei

Thalamiflorae