To William Hooker   20 April 1860

Melbourne bot. & zool. Garden,

20. April 60.

My dear & venerable Sir William,

I need not assure you, that I was delighted to be once more honored by a long letter from you, brought by Dr Seemann.¹ Engaged in official duties from home, when my learned countryman called, I lost for the present the opportunity of making his personal acquaintance; but as Dr Seemann is expected to be back to Melbourne within some months, I anticipate the pleasure of meeting him under my roof; and one of the greatest enjoyments, which will arise to me out of his visit, will be that, of having a long conservation² with him about yourself.³ I am so glad that you are able to confirm Dr Hookers most welcome intelligence of your perfect recovery from your illness,⁴ altho' this joyful assurance is coupled with the sorrowful news of the afflictions, which befell Lady Hooker.⁵ I trust that your life will be gladdened by the return of perfect cheerfulness into your family circle.

I am glad, that everey thing is so far arranged, that a series of works on the plants of the various colonies will be ere long issued under the auspicies of the Imperial Government, and that Mr Bentham is inclined to commence with Australias flora. The immense material at his command, the facility of access to it through the Grand arrangements at Kew, the long experience of your friend in describing plants & above all the unlimited mastership over his time, are likely to secure for Australia soon a more excellent work, than any other author could furnish.

Altho' since the year 1847 when I landed in Australia & commenced here my botanical labours, it was always a favorite idea of mine, to do finally what Mr Bentham intends now, and altho' I have made myself great preparations for the purpose & many sacrifices, I shall still be delighted to see Mr Bentham perform the task & give every information I can to facilitate his labours.

A delay of 1 or 2 years in the publication of the work would probably have been so far desirable, as meanwhile I could have published much, what now must appear as supplement to Mr Benthams work. I can however quietly proceed with the flora of Victoria & the Fragmenta & trust to render services thereby. This time I beg to submit a few plates & some letterpress again. The Emblingia amongst Capparideae is certainly one of the oddest plants lately discovered. Also Cadellia appears to me curious, and I am not perfectly sure, whether I have placed it correctly into Malpighiaceae.

There is one consideration however, which I would most seriously impress on Mr Bentham, it is, not to disbeautify his work by the useless recital of herbarium or index names!! The principles which should guide every botanist in this are simply, that every synonym should be quoted, whe[n]ever it was published with a description, and that every synonym should be banished from botanical literature, which had not the above claim on perpetuity. It is after all but a poor triumph to a really great & noble minded man to boast in having reduced a number of species, which in reality not existed in botanical literature, and I frankly admit that some authors of the "plantae Muellerianae" in the Linnaea have lost my friendship (perhaps not much) imprinting against my wish a number of manuscript names, studiously avoiding to state in candour, that such names were merely adopted to fix in my diaries (yet unpublished) the habitats of plants, which to do in the first instance I possessed no better means.⁶ When once the Universal flora of Australia is published, we will no longer be neccessitated to use such objectionable means.

That you still are able to advance so zealously & so effectually the progress of Botany is a wonder to the whole world & the only example the history of our science afords.

May God spare you, Sir William, long yet for our guidance & for our admiration.

Ever your very humble [and]⁷

grateful

Ferd. Mueller

Sir Will. Jacks. Hooker.

K.H.

&c &c &c

I receive monthly the excellent bot. Mag.⁸ Will Isotoma petraea, now cultivated everywhere & introduced by me into Europe 1851 when I discovered it in the Flinders Ranges not deserve a plate in the Magazine? I decribed it in the Linnaea in 1852.⁹

The first seeds which ripened of the equally rare & beautiful

Goodenia Macmillani are enclosed. Nothing is easier multiplied than this species, which I think deserves well a place in Conservatories.¹⁰ I enclose also seeds of the Trigonella suavissima, the famous spinage-clover of Sir Th. Mitchell, occuring on Lake Torrens, the Flinders Ranges, the Darling & Murray. It is considered an excellent fodder herb, worthy of extensive cultivation.

I have the pleasure of sending you also a copy of our Resource Report.¹¹

Cadellia

Capparideae

Emblingia

Goodenia Macmillani

Isotoma petraea

Malpighiaceae

Trigonella suavissima