To John Lindley   5 February 1859

Melbourne botanic and zoologic

Garden, 5. febr 1859

My Dear Sir

A few days ago I had the great pleasure of receiving your highly valuable "folia orchidacea",¹ a really classic work, for the transmission of which I beg to tender you my grateful acknowledgement. It will be of great service to me in future writings on this noble Order, altho' possibly we may regard the orchid-flora of Australia now as fully known, not even the Calamus jungles of Eastern Australia having aforded many new parasitical species, whilst the terrestrial ones disappear in the hotter zone. The few novelties I possessed are described in the 4. No of my fragmenta,² which will be sent to you by the first opportunity. Probably you will be displeased with my having subjugated the genus Gunnia to Sarcochilus.³ But I really believe, you would not have separated it at the time, when it was established, had Sarcochilus been known except from the very imperfect circumscription given by RBr. Some vituperation may fall on me in having not the worthy Gunn's name attached to the species, but what shall I say, if Dr Hooker describes the sepals as yellow, whilst they are quite green, color not varying in this order except into white. I sent to our friend Dr Hooker 12 months ago⁴ previous to my describing the species a specimen for identification and asked Mr Gunn⁵ & Dr Milligan also for a specimen of the Tasmanian plant. The latter friend had mislaid them, ⁶ and the former having as he says "the misfortune of being a legislator"!⁷ delayed sending them, until after I had published my notes. The occurrence of the elegant little Dendrobium Milligani in Tasmania & Bass's Straits will interest you.

I have now restored Gunn's claim on a genus being named in acknowledgement of his very meritorious botanical exertions by choosing as Gunnia a n.g. of Portulaceae brought just home by Mr Babbage from the N.W. of South Australia. This gentlemans bot collection contains besides an other well marked genus Babbagia, (of Salsolaceae) differing from Kochia in producing 2 wings only, both vertical; - then different species of known genera, Helichrysum, Eremophila, Trichinium, Hibiscus &c, amongst which the Eremophila Macdonnelli is truly elegant. There will be a separate report issued on this collection,⁸ in the way as on Mr Gregory's collection formed in 1858 on Coopers Creek.⁹

My own multifarious duties on this establishment permitted me only for a very short time to seek recreation in a botanical tour to the S.W. parts of the alps, where I discovered a [new]¹⁰ range encircling an auriferous country & where I likewise obtained some botanical novelties, amongst which the fine Goodenia M'Millani is the most desirable for garden introduction.

With veneration & best wishes for your welfare, I remain, dear Professor, your humble

[Ferd] Mueller¹¹

I will do my best to find for your favorite gardener suitable employment.¹² I will thankfully avail myself in any future orchidological discoveries to see them published through your kindness in the L.S. journal. For a sending of seeds from the Hort. Soc. many thanks. I [shall]¹³ soon reciprocate for them. Also accept my sincere thanks for you troubles about acorns - I will write to our Colonial Agent, who may be able to send them officially, other wise our patriotic friends Edw. Wilson Esq or W. Westgarth Esq, City Bank Chambers 20 Threadneedle Street would, I feel sure, gladly forward any thing calculated to be a boon to this country.¹⁴

I am just dividing this years duplicates into collections, of which I shall be happy to send you one. If you can favor me with a few duplicates from any tropical or subtropical country of the eastern hemisphere, I shall be greatly delighted.

Babbagia

Calamus

Dendrobium Milligani

Eremophila Macdonnelli

Goodenia M'Millanii

Gunnia

Helichrysum

Hibiscus

Kochia

Portulaceae

Salsolaceae

Sarcochilus

Trichinium