To William Hooker   15 July 1858

Melbourne bot gardens

15 July 1858

My much beloved Sir William.

The mail due on the 5. of this month did not yet arrive. I have therefore but few things to allude to by this days mail. I will however always when at home remain in uninterrupted line with my monthly letters — there is little to send by this mail either. I have forwarded a few copies of my Fragmenta 1.2.¹, which also were sent by last mail. I add this time the beginning of the 3 fasc.² I trust you will not be displeased with them, because they contain some of my N. A. plants.³ For altho' I have by no means given my favorite [idea] up, of visiting you and your noble establishment, I think the work will be enormous during my brief stay under any circumstances. Thus whatever is published before will be a relief. There can be no doubt about the [novelty] of all the Australian forms in Mr Gregorys collection, and I can leave the Indian types until I enjoy your counsels. — And if you would patronize the Fragmenta, I should ask for more of the most valuable identifications, which I owe to the experience of Mr Black.⁴ Then any thing new or as an Australian plant undescribed may be put into my periodical, and if providence grants me life and health, I may have in two years 5000 good diagnoses in it, which could be easily republished in systematic order. — I will not touch upon the following orders until I leave from here as probably the Linnean Society and any other scientif. body of Britain may deem them acceptable as containing such a large share of novelty: viz Eucalyptus, Acacia, Goodeniaceae, Stylideae & Mitrasacme.

Next mail I hope to be able to send you my new report⁵ & the continuation of the Fragmenta. We are now importing living plants from the Murray River & have done so from the Grampians, of all of which, when properly established, [Kew]⁶ shall participate.

I repeat a brief supplem. to Dr Hookers Fl. Tasm.⁷

Hardenbergia monophylla Rocky hills near Richmond. Oldfield. Panax Gunnii berries black. Persoonia Gunnii Plains behind Recherche Bay. Drapetes Tasmanica near the summit of Mt. Laperouse. Centaurea melit[ensis]. South Port. Oldfield.

I cannot exactly make out, what species Dr Hooker regards as Brachycome linearifolia. Sonder & myself have taken B. marginata Bth. for the Cunninghamian species. this is common in most localitites of V.D.L, but has broad-winged achenia.

Trusting that you will pardon me, my dear Sir William, for not more carefully & explicitly writing by this mail, and wishing you Gods blessings, I remain

Your ever attached

Ferd. Mueller.

Acacia

Brachycome linearifolia

Brachycome marginata

Centaurea melitensis

Drapetes Tasmanica

Eucalyptus

Goodeniaceae

Hardenbergia monophylla

Mitrasacme

Panax Gunnii

Persoonia Gunnii

Stylideae