To George Bentham   23 July 1863

Melbourne bot. Garden

23/7/63.

Dear Mr Bentham.

I was delighted to receive the finishing portion of vol. I of the Australian flora and have with pride percieved the graceful manner in which you acknowledge my services and the generous disposition, which you have shown towards me in so extensively adopting my own views. To be an amanuensis to you I shall always regard a great honor, and I will strive to facilitate your researches as much as I can.¹ This time you receive the concluding pages of my Victorian Acaciae² reduced to about 50 sp.³ As our colony must be regarded as very rich of species of this genus, I can, measuring at the standard adopted for the plants of Victoria⁴ not anticipate that more than 200 true and genuine species of this genus are to be found in Australia, but until the cycl[u]s of forms of each species has been carefully traced it will be necessary to keep up ad interim certain varieties under specific designations. My reductions will perhaps not prove acceptable to you, but I have given in each instance the matter a careful consideration and do not expect that my views will finally be found essentially wrong. Thus R Br. according to a note in Bot. Register could see no specific difference between A. decurrens & A. mollissima (or A. dealbata). A curious variety of the latter is a plant from the warmer parts of East Australia, destitute of glands on the rachis except at its apex. I thought, if the [fruit] proves it different, it might be called A. p[e]nnifolia,⁵ the plant having beautifully feathery leaves. But it is hardly needful to enter into these details, as you will learn my views from the perusal of the enclosed pages.⁶

By this post I have sent a few supplementary notes to the finishing pages of vol. I. The remaining Acaciae being all now arranged for final transmission you will receive the 3 cases pr Yorkshire, which ship will sail at the end of this month. Case N. 11 went pr. Great Britain and contained Jacksonia, Gastrolobium and supplements to the Leguminosae of Case 9 sent pr. Suffolk (which I understand arrived)

Case N. 12 was sent on 8 June pr. Anglesey, containing Acaciae.

Case N. 13 went pr Roxburgh Castle on 28 June containing also only Acaciae. There will be altogether nearly 50 fascicles of Acaciae. These together with the important collections you have at home will enable you to give an excellent and almost complete monograph of Acaciae, for it is not at all likely, that many additions will be discovered. I will work up the few spec of Cassia, belonging to this colony and therewith you will have the Caesalpineae complete. The Papilionaceae I will trust away without examination for the Victorian flora, so that you may not be delayed. But this will render it doubly necessary, that every possible precaution should be taken to secure the safe transit of them to & fro. In accordance with your wish I will forward then first Rosaceae, Lythraceae, Saxifrageae, Melastomeae, Lythraceae Combretaceae, Rhizophoreae. Do you desire to put also Halorageae, Ceratophylleae & Onagreae into vol 2? My Saxifrageae are particularly interesting, containing many truly noble forms.

Prof von Martius wrote to me by last mail and has spontaneously sent kindly me that section of his Brazilian Flora refering to Leguminosae. Our public library will purchase the whole flora⁷ some day, but at present fund is absorbed in erecting an other wing.

I should be particularly gratified, if you would send a copy of [y]our new volume to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, who as head of the Colonial Office takes a deep interest in all concerning the colonies. I would like also much that an elegant copy were sent to the library of the Prince of Wales.

The thought has occurred to me, that it would be highly desirable to commence simultaneously with the elaboration of the phanerogamous plants also at once the cryptogamic volumes of the Universal Australian Flora. If Sir Will Hooker undertook the ferns, Gottsche the Lichenastra, Mitten the Mosses, the younger Fries or Babington the Lichenes, Harvey the Algae and Berkely the Fungi, classic work would be produced. By the time, that the phanerogamic volumes are done, some of these illustrious author may have passed away and it would be difficult to find others to do justice to a task to them comparatively easy. If you can arrange for this second or cryptogamic series, my material will at once be placed at your command.⁸

Acacia cyclopis is a good species restricted to W. Australia. What you called so in the Linnaea is A. Melanoxylon, which is common in S. Australia, where A. cyclopis not exists.⁹

Acacia cyclopis

Acacia dealbata

Acacia decurrens

Acacia Melanoxylon

Acacia mollissima

Caesalpineae

Ceratophylleae

Combretaceae

Fungi

Gastrolobium

Halorageae

Jacksonia

Leguminosae

Lichenastra

Lichenes

Lythracea

Lythraceae

Melastomeae

Onagreae

Papilionaceae

Rhizophoreae

Rosaceae

Saxifrageae