To William Hooker   15 March 1859

Melbourne bot. & zool.

Garden, 15 March 1859

My dear and venerable Sir William.

Only since a very few days am I in possession of the munificent contribution, which you and your esteemed son furnished to my library & for which donation I tender you my warmest thanks. I am quite amazed to observe what an enormous amount of work of the greatest scientific value you still continue to furnish to Botany;— and how pleasing it must be to you to see Dr Hooker following so ardently your noble example.

Dr Crozier brought me many joyful news of you verbally & I shall avail myself of his return to England, to send a set of Mr Dallachy’s Darling-River plants, containing several novelties & many rarities.

This time I beg to offer you the complete No 4 of my Fragmenta & a copy of the Report on Mr Babbages plants.1

Our worthy friend Dr G. Bennett, who is on a visit to Europe, will bring a second copy.

I have been elected against my wish President of the phil. Institute and fear shall be obliged to fill the high office for this year.2

My duties here are very onerous & often do I wish, I were at least in some slight & humble way able to live on a private income. I would than hasten to Kew and devote the rest of my days to the elucidation of the Australian Flora. — I was exceedingly gratified with the parcel of dried Austral3 plants presented by Drs Thomson & Hooker & certainly to an Australian Botanist nothing can be more instructive than South Asiatic plants.

Dr Milligan sent me lately Persoonia Gunnii from Port Davy.4

I have lately examined the fruit of Myrtus tenuifolia. It is a true Myrtus. [Dr] Lindleys Elaeodendron maculosum = Flindersia (Strzeleckia) maculosa mihi

With my sincerest attachment & gratitude

I remain, much beloved Sir,

your very humble

Ferd. Mueller.

 

I was struck with the beautiful illustration furnished by Dr Hooker on Balanophoreae.5 I have never been able to find a plant of this order.

 

Balanophoreae

Elaeodendron maculosum

Flindersia maculosa

Myrtus tenuifolia

Persoonia Gunnii

1
B59.02.03 (Fragmenta), B59.04.02 (Babbage report). B59.04.02 was published on 1 April, so if this is what M sent to Hooker, it must have been in proof sheets or as a pre-print. There is a copy of the report with the same pagination as B59.04.02 in the bound collection of M's articles in the RBG Kew, Library (F. Mueller Opuscula, descriptions, 1855-83).
2
M had also been elected Vice President in 1858, in his absence when he was 'unable to oppose' his nomination (M to W. Hooker, 15 March 1858).
3

Indian?

M reported to his Minister that he had during March received dried specimens of Indian plants (M to J. O'Shanassy, 1 April 1859), and Joseph Hooker and Thomas Thomson were the authors of Flora indica (1855).

4
Port Davey, Tas.
5
J. Hooker (1856).

Please cite as “FVM-59-03-15,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/59-03-15