From Joseph Hooker   20 October 1860

Br. Consulate Jerusalem Octr 20/60

My dear Mueller

The address of this will surprise you I dare say, but I have taken advantage of my 6 weeks leave1 to visit Syria, & have come here en route to Nazareth &c & so home by Caipha2 & Beirut. I have already been through N. Syria, crossing the Lebanon & Antilebanon to Damascus. The season is absolutely dead as far as regards Vegetation, but I have been greatly interested in various ways. My chief object in writing now is to ask your aid towards improving this interesting locality by an envoi of Australian seeds. Mr & Mrs Finn the Consul & his lady are making great efforts to introduce trees especially around Jerusalem have purchased land & gone to a great deal of expence & trouble, the soil & climate are admirable & the country is cursed by man & man's works alone — I believe that many Victoria trees would succeed here better than those of any other country, & I know that you would be proud to be the instrument of populating the country with arborescent vegetation. no one could do it so well as you & no plants would succeed better than Australian. The quick-growing ones would be the most important as shade & a break-wind of plants that will withstand drought are the first requisites — We can send from Kew Californian, Cape & N.W. Indian seeds & shall do so, but you can cut us out [by] Victorian — The following would be especially desirable.

Blue Gum

Peppermint do

Various Acacias

Casuarinas

Callitris

Melaleucas

Anthesteria & other dry climate large Grasses.

Pomaderris

Banksia

Hakea

Grevillea

&c &c &c You can from the above hint, judge better than I can indicate, what would be acceptable.

Address the packet

James Finn Eqr

British Consul

Jerusalem

Care of the British Consul

Alexandria

I go home by the November mail

Ever sincerely yrs

Jos. D Hooker.3

 

Dr. Mueller

 

Please put on each packet whether tree, shrub, or grass. This is more important than the Scientific names

 

Acacia

Anthesteria

Banksia

Callitris

Casuarina

Grevillea

Hakea

Melaleuca

Pomaderris

 
 
1
Hooker was actually away for ten weeks, leaving England around 9 September 1860, departing from Trieste on 15 September and returning to London on 17 November.
2
Haifa.
3
See also M to J. Moore, 15 January 1862, and Rosen (1991).

Please cite as “FVM-60-10-20,” 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 18 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/60-10-20