Melbourne, bot. Garden
25/1/64
My dear and highly honored Sir
I write English with so much greater ease, that you will kindly allow me to reply to your friendly letter of 28 Jul.1 not in your own elegant language.
It is pleasing to me to perceive, that my humble literary productions2 are accepted with so much grace by a great master in science like yourself, whose own researches with those of a few others have been the leading stars on my path.
I regret, that only the latter numbers of my Fragmenta are in your possession, as I intended to submit the whole successively to you. I will endeavour to complete the set for your library
I shall learn from Mr Bentham, whether he intends to enclose the Euphorbiaceae in the Calyciflorae or Monochlamydeae.3 In the latter case they will be available for transmission to Dr Mueller4 in toto on loan, if you will give me a safe channel of communication & one of a speedy return.
I was much gratified to receive from Dr Mueller, so much explicit information on the few plants of Euphorbiaceae which I sent and which I never carefully examined myself, as neither a work for careful study of the species is available, nor in my own herbarium of extra-Australian plants a sufficiency of material for critical comparison.5 The appearance of the Euphorbiaceae in the prodromus6 will at once vastly aid every botanist in the study of these difficult plants
It remains yet for me to observe, that the two publications, which you so friendly forwarded to me never reached me. Nevertheless, pray accept my best thanks for your kindness
Finally I beg to offer my cordial congratulations to the marriage of your son & the heir of your great name & labours.7 May it be the destination of your scientific dynasty to carry botanical research into a distant future!
With the kindest regards I remain, dear Professor,
yours
attached
Ferd. Mueller.
Mons. le Professeur
Alph. de Candolle &c &c &c
Calyciflorae
Euphorbiaceae
Monochlamydeae
Letter not found.
In April 1862 M had sent, via W. Sonder, a copy of B62.03.03 (M to A. de Candolle, 26 June 1862 (in this edition as 62-06-26g)).
The question had been asked in M to G. Bentham, 12 December 1863; in G. Bentham to M, 25 May 1864, Bentham wrote that they would be included in the Monochlamydeae. See Maroske (2006).
Jean Müller (Müll. Arg.)
See M to J. Müller, 25 January 1864 (in this edition as 64-01-25d).
A. P. de Candolle (1823-73).
Casimir de Candolle married Anna Mathilde Marcet on 27 August 1863 (Briquet (1919), p. 44).
Please cite as “FVM-64-01-25a,” 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