From Ferdinand von Mueller to Asa Gray   24 Jan 1862

Melbourne bot & zool Garden

24. Jan 62.

My dear Prof Gray.

I can assure you, it is with feelings of the upmost sympathy that I look now to your country & think of you, well imagining how much the terrors of the war1 must interrupt the labours of the philanthropic philosopher & must withdraw from him the amplitude of support. My principle reason for writing this day consists in the profound desire of expressing my sympathy for you, then also to learn, what route you would desire to be adopted for sending such botanical specimens as I am now preparing for you & your botanical friends, whose generosity we have so greatly enjoyed here in adding to our collection. I overlooked, that you brought Rhytidandra (Pseudalangium mihi2) to Alangieae before I found the plant myself. I think I mentioned to you before, that I discovered Byronia3 here also.

I have just finished the 1 vol. of my plants of Victoria4 and the second of the Fragmenta5. Both will be sent to you as soon as I learn that I can do so with safety.

Would it be possible for you to cause the following Advertisement to be inserted in a Boston & New York journal?6 I am requested as Vice President of our Acclimation Society to attend to the promulgation.

With the sincerest feelings for your health & happiness

dear Dr. Gray

yours

Ferd Mueller.

U.S. Civil War, 1861-5.

i.e. my Pseudalangium. M is acknowledging that his own genus Pseudalangium (B60.08.01, p. 84) was a later synonym of Gray's genus Rhytidandra (A. Gray (1854), p. 302), which had to be given precedence. The correction was made in B61.11.04, p.176.

Presumably Byronia arnhemensis (B61.02.02, p. 119).

B62.03.03.

The last fascicle, pp. 169-99, B61.11.04, was undated but was published by 26 November 1861 (see M to W. Hooker, 26 November 1861 (in this edition as 61-11-26a)).

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Please cite as “FVM-62-01-24b,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/62-01-24b