To William Hooker   26 May 1861

Melbourne bot &zool Garden,

26. May 1861.

Dear Sir William.

By this months mail I am anxious to apprize you of the despatch of several sendings to Kew. None is important, yet the accumulate may be of some value and will at any rate prove my unaltered attachment to your self and the celebrated Garden & Museum of Kew. Regard it as a beginning of what we will send this year.

pr. "Agincourt" under care of M Areschoug, a nephew of Prof Areschoug¹ and brother to A[djunct] Areschoug,² I forward a small box with living plants, containing Myoporum humilis,³ Selliera radicans, Goodenia Macmillani, Lobelia platycalyx, Poa ramigera, Wittsteinia vacciniacea, and Dendrobium Milligani.⁴ The latter plant M Areschoug was to take to Sweden, as it arrived already safely at Kew, and if any of the other species are already in your garden, perhaps he may also be allowed to take then to our Upsala friends.

M Areschoug brings you also a collection of N. Zealand Cryptogamae and a set of Western Australian seeds. By an Officer of that magnificent and swift ship "Great Britain" Mr Delaney I have forwarded a set of all the rarer ferns I have added to our collection since the last two years. Probably all are well known to you, yet the set is probably acceptable on account of new habitats, many being from localities not previously botanically explored. The honorable Capt. Pasley, son of Lieutn. General Sir Charles Pasley, R.E., K.C.B., a most aimiable noble hearted & talented man, who once was Minister of the Crown for this colony and who conducted for some time the administration of the onerous office of public works, brings you as passenger in the Great Britain a set of the duplicates of the botanical specimens collected at the outset of the Victorian Exploring Expedition, as I have received permission by the Council of our R.S. to forward a set to Kew. The Council would be highly gratified, if a very few words of acknowledgement were adressed to them.⁵ In the box I have put also some more recently gathered Carices, intended likewise for the Kew hebarium, but which I would be very anxious, should be examined before incorporated into the general collection; perhaps Dr Booth⁶ would spare time to write a few notes on them for the pr[e]ceedings of the L.S.,⁷ if he regards the collection worthy of his examination.

My next consignment will consist in more bot. specimens for the herbarium & Museum. We have arranged in the Royal Commission of the Exhibition⁸ that as I suggested the timber specimens should be cut in four of the richest parts of the Colony. I can not go myself, being already overburdened with work at this planting season; but I have engaged Mr Oldfields services for Twofold Bay⁹ or rather East Gipps land. Mr Herrgott is sent to the Murray, and two other collectors will go to other localities. I have 1 [lb] excellent Manna ready, a fine series of casts of fruits and vegetables in gypsum (close on 100 specimens) samples of Eucalyptus oil by Mr Bosisto distilled from leaves supplied by this Garden. We intend also to distil the flowers of Pittosporum undulatum, which are deliciously fragarant & claim for the plant besides that it is so ornamental a place in any country in which it is hardy. As far as it lays in my power every thing shall be done, that these collections are sent after exhibition to Kew. May I trust, that whilst you see our continuing to struggle on and do our best, that you will also continue your munificence towards us and let us frequently participate in the riches of your garden. What a blessing it would be, if we could see copiously the noble noble¹⁰ Lebanon Cedar distributed through this country! in a way in which I introduce for general distribution other noble pines. We have 40,000 Stone pines germinating & several thousand Deodars. — Seeds of Wellingtonia are also in some quantity entrusted to the ground. But of the Lebanon Cedar we have only one tree very small yet, not likely to produce Cones in my lifetime. I have since the last 4 years imported Lebanon Cedar Cones about a dozend time[s], but never a single seed with perfect embryo could be obtained out of them. Is it the inclemency of your climate, which prevents this noble plant to ripen its seeds; or owes it, as in so many instances to the recklessness in packing, which mocks the very rudimentary principles of science? Seeds undried arrived in hermetically sealed boxes! often enough. We have a few seedlings of both kinds of Senna up! — Podophyllum and Aconitum are here much in medical request. Is there any possibility of getting seeds?

This week I receive the melancholy news from Mr Haast, that the venerable Dr Sinclair¹¹ sunk another botanical Martyr. This zealous and aimiable Gentleman joined Mr Haast in his arduous journey to Mount Cook and met with his death in being drowned whilst crossing in search of plants a mountain torrent. He intended to visit me after his return, an event to which I looked joyfully forward. His plants will be forwarded to you throught the excellent Mr Haast. I trust that the last part (IV, 2) of the Victorian transactions¹² reached you. They were sent in Prof Harveys Box by the "Great Britain" last journey. It often occurred to me, that a herbarium paper might be made in the mills, which would render the attacks of insects impossible [or] unlikely and thereby at once preserve the plants without the difficulty of poisoning them individually. Could this not be effected by the use of very minute quantity of Chlorid of Mercury in the fabrication of the paper? or by the introduction of some other poison into the paper mass. Being a little reluctant in using such a dangerous substance in a herbarium, with which I work, I occasionally dip my specimens into oil of turpentine. [For] the London Exhibition I shall have a packsaddle with two sets of travelling boards for drying specimens. They can also go to your Museum afterwards. I think you will regard them a new invention. I have examined Orthrosanthus (Wurthia¹³ Regel) recently again from a Victorian locality. I think the Genus might be kept distinct from Libertia, approaching to Patersonia. Is there no genius in Britain to furnish us with an other supplement to Loudons Cyclopaedia?¹⁴

With a cordial wish for your health and happiness

your attached

Ferd. Mueller

I enclose two more plates of the flora of Victoria; the printing of the letterpress¹⁵ is resumed and as the exploration of Victoria by my last journey may be regarded as completed & as my health is better, I hope I shall be able to progress freely with the work.

I trust Mr Bentham will take up the N. American Flora of the British possessions.¹⁶ I do think, that it is not right, that what I have made now since 1847 a plan of life should now by the labours of an other Botanist be frustrated. Is the world not wide enough for all of us?

I often was desirous to ask Dr Hooker, whether Mount Erebus, being an active Vulcano, is likely to have a vegetation of any sort. Are the seeds of Pinus Douglasii readily obtainable in English parks?

Any attention shown to the honorable Capt. Pasley will oblige me much. This excellent Officer was severely wounded in the last New Zealand war. I owe to him mainly my appointment as Director of the Garden and was installed by his Ministry.

We have several thousand teaplants raised from seeds, sent by His Excellency Governor Robinson of Hongkong.¹⁷

Pray give Dr Hooker my kind regards.

N. 16 fragmenta¹⁸ herewith.

I have fine plants of Sarcopetalum Harveyanum in cultivation & will send some by the first opportunity.

Aconitum

Carex

Dendrobium Milligani

Eucalyptus

Goodenia Macmillani

Libertia

Lobelia platycalyx

Myoporum humilis

Orthrosanthus

Patersonia

Pinus Douglasii

Pittosporum undulatum

Poa ramigera

Podophyllum

Sarcopetalum Harveyanum

Selliera radicans

Senna

Wellingtonia

Wittsteinia vacciniacea

Wurthia