To William Hooker   1 March 1855

Lake Wellington, Gipps land,

March. 1. 1855.

Sir William,

Since I had the honor of adressing you (from Buchan 22 Jan. 55) when giving you a short account of the alpine vegetation of Mount Coskiusko¹ &c, I have been travelling for about a fourthnight in the lower south eastern part of Gipps land. I collected in the Cabbage-tree Country Cissus Australasica beautifully in flower, but I was again too late for Celastrus Australis, Cocculus Harveyanus² and others, which are yet required in an early state of development. The additional plants from this district were limited, Lobelia purpurascens, a Camphoromyrtus, a Notelaea, Solanum pungetium are amongst them. On the coast, where a few algae were drifted up, I found the beautiful very fleshy Senecio spathulatus, Zoysia pungens, Panicum paradoxum, R.Br. and in morasses a Lysimachia, which appears to be identical with Lysim. vulgaris. It is certainly indigenous and offers a new instance of the wide distribution of swamp- or water plants over the globe. The Lysimachia is accompanied by more than a dozend of its usual consociates at home. Here on the coast and in other parts of Gipps land I observed a Solanum, called by the aborigines Gunyang,³ which promises to become an additional fruit shrub of our gardens. I have not yet obtained the perfect ripe fruit, which is said to be of excellent taste and of which the natives are passionately fond. It is next allied to Sol. laciniatum, yet widely different in more than a dozend characters. I beg to give here at once the diagnosis: Solanum vescum, S. fruticosum, inerme, erectum, glabrum, ramulis alatis, foliis elongato-lanceolatis integerrimis vel medium versus longe laciniatis sessilibus, floribus corymbosis, calycibus semiquinquefidis ecarinatis, corollis brevissime quinquelobis coerulescentibus, filamentis filiformibus antheras oblongas luteas aequantibus, baccis magnis subglobosis viridibus. This diagnosis will readily distinguish it from S. laciniatum, which has an eggshaped orange fruit of a disagreable taste.⁴

On Lake King I found Eurybia viscosa, a Loranthus new to me with nearly orbicular leaves adhering to stem and branches of Banksia integrifolia, (Lor. Banksiae n. sp)⁵ Zostera marina, a fine malvaceous plant with the aspect of Malva capensis (A genus allied to Lagunea, I think new!)⁶ and in bud only a noble aromatic tree, which appears to be a new species of Cryptocarya.

But here drew my explorations suddenly to a close. Searching during intense heat for good specimens of Potamogeton praelongus in the Tambo River, I exposed myself too long to the cold water of this mountainous stream and the consequence was, that I became for more than 2 weeks stretched on the sick-bed by a rheumatic fever. By Gods providence⁷ I am now recovering; the illness did not, as I was much afraid, assume a nervous⁸ character, but it will be questionable, if I, before the rain sets in, shall have recovered sufficient strenght, to face Mount Baw Baw⁹ on my homeway, a mountain, which I ardently desired to ascend. This morning I saw for the first time a fragment of Potamogeton crispus in Lake Wellington. Wilsonia Backhousii occurs here also.

Whilst writing these lines I was agreably surprised to receive, Sir William, your very kind letter dated Oct. 1. 1854 with Mr La Trobes enclosure.¹⁰ My mind is now much relieved in learning, that you at last received the first part of the collections prepared for you, and your benign judgement on it and on its manuscript will be a source to me of gratification and encouragement. I have at present to express my greatest thanks for your attention to my great desire of completing my library; not yet in the possession of the letter, accompaniing the books, I am unable to comply with any arrangements made by you in this behalf, but shall do so instantly after my return, which will take place about the end of this month. But I may say at once, that I am as willing as able to devote 100 £ pr annum on books and that the remisses for anything sent to me will promptly be paid. — If you will do me the great pleasure of publising such part of my manuscripts, as you think free from material errors, in your journal, I should be glad, to purchase 50-100¹¹ copies of the diagnos[e]s from your publisher for distribution through the colony. In the estimates for 1854 and 1853 has no provision been made for books in aid of the botanical department. I was consequently not in the position of procuring books on the expense of the Government. Had I been a member of the committee for the public library, I would have given an order for all neccessary; so I applied to one of the members, (now nearly two years ago) applying modestly for about 12 works to the amount of about 50 £ including your journal, the flora Antarctica, fl. N. Zeel.¹² &c. You may imagine how I was chagrined, when 1/2 year afterwards I percieved that instead of the books desired the works of Linnaeus (with all veneration for the grand master) and several others of just as little use for us here, were ordered for the Melbourne Library. The finances of the colony are at present so diminished, that I would not wish to increase the expenses for my department. The Government however could facilitate my labours greatly by providing me with a proper building. Dr. Harvey can give you an account in what a narrow dark little place I am obliged to do all my work. Dr Harvey went in all likelihood over to V. D. L.;¹³ I wrote to him two months ago;¹⁴ but received no answer. I beg to enclose a few lines to Mr LaTrobe¹⁵ to express my thanks for the interest, which he continues to bestow upon my labours.

With regard to the publication of the Flora of Victoria, I thought to adopt the plan to have it printed here in the Governments printing office in 3 or 4 small volumes, publishing every winter one of them. To render the work popular I intend to employ only the English language. The sacrifice by the Government can assuredly not be great, as many hundred copies of the work here alone will be sold. The material for it will be also in some degree complete after one journey, which in an early season I have yet to undertake to the westward through the Scrub. Thalamiflorae & Calyciflorae I think might come out the first year, and more particularly for any correction or information in this division I should be most thankful. If the Governor consents to it I should be glad to go before the publication for a season to N.S.W. In order to study many of R Br¹⁶ plants on the spots of their discovery.¹⁷

It is farther my intention to employ constantly a collector on my own expense. By my own journeys, purchases and the emission of one or two collectors I hope to have after the publication of the Flora of Victoria so much material to my command, that I can earnestly contemplate the edition of a universal work on Australian plants. For this purpose I flatter myself to have the cooperation of Drs Harvey and Sonder. With your usual liberality you would no doubt permit the former to augment the number [of]¹⁸ my diagnoses by revision of Cunninghams plants and Drummonds. Dr. Sondercould through the friendship of Fenzl and Klotzsch obtain certainly many additions from the splendid collections of Vienna and Berlin; and I trust also to find means of getting contributions from Paris and from DC.¹⁹ collections. Many thousand plants would pass unaltered from published works into the proposed flora, and I think there would be no difficulty of enumerating 10,000 good species. The english language would perhaps also for such [a]²⁰ work [be]²¹ preferable. I should feel obliged for any advice from you in this behalf.

Believe me, Sir William, to be your most obliged and

thankful Servant

Ferd. Mueller

Banksia integrifolia

Calyciflorae

Camphoromyrtus

Celastrus Australis

Cissus Australasica

Cocculus Harveyanus

Cryptocarya

Eurybia viscose

Lagunea

Lobelia purpurascens

Loranthus Banksiae

Lysimachia vulgaris

Malva capensis

Notelaea

Panicum paradoxum

Potamogeton crispus

Potamogeton praelongus

Senecio spathulatus

Solanum fruticosum

Solanum laciniatum

Solanum laciniatum

Solanum pungetium

Solanum vescum

Thalamiflorae

Wilsonia Backhousii

Zostera marina

Zoysia pungens