To William Hooker   13 July 1865

Melbourne bot. Garden,

13./7./65.

Dear Sir William.

The mailsteamer for Europe was out of our Bay before the incoming mail reached us; hence I could not answer to your friendly lines of 25 Apr. before this month;¹ nor express my grief with your sufferings. Had you not kindly written yourself, I should have learnt from Professor Miquel of your illness. I trust, venerable and dear friend, that your firm health, usually so good, will have been reestablished, especially with the sunny days of the spring. I suffer periodically from bronchial affections myself and feel then dreadfully dispirited and often very irritated. I have most cordially to congratulate you to your eightiest² birthday! What a glorious reflection it must be to you when you turn your thoughts to the past & not less elevating must be your views into the future, when you contemplate the vast influence your labours at all times will exercise. You have set an example to the world, that will not by more than one man followed out in a century.

The arrangements of the Ladies for renewing the search after my poor countryman & fellow wanderer on the path of exploration & natural science³ have absorbed much of that time, that I otherwise could have devoted to the elucidation of plants. So I have not done much. But as interesting I may mention, that a new very noble species of Ptychospora has been brought from the jungles of the Fitzroy River and distinguished by me as the Alexander Palm, P. Alexandrae⁴. It is 80' high & I have no doubt I shall be able to bring the plant into cultivation of Kew. I know now 13 Australian palms, RBr⁵ 4. But how little is this after all compared with what may be found in Siam, in the Gorilla country, in the mountains of the moon. Indeed it is almost a pity to waste the time in searching for novelties in Australia; for certainly not half a thousand truely new plants will be found left unknown all over Australia. It has often occurred to me, whether not an arrangement could be made by the greater botanical establishments for uniting in keeping a good collector employed If Kew, Paris, Leyden Vienne, Berlin, Boston, Melbourne united and each establishment furnished £50 "- "- annually a collector & staff could be well supported in tropical Africa or Siam. The collections could then be divided between the supporting establishments & easily an arrangement be made in such a manner for the elucidation as to cause no clashing, as each botanist would choose his favorite orders for working up the material. I should be willing to grant £50 - - for such a purpose annually from my department. You will be astonished that I have a Borya from the North East Coast.⁶ Need I say that with every other Botanist am⁷ looking eagerly forward to your synopsis filicum,⁸ a work that will be an eternal monument of your industry. I hope you will grant to the world also a supplement to the great crowning work of your labours, the species filicum.⁹ But providence will spare you yet for many other noble deeds, for we are sure you will become a centenarian, so at least lead us veneration love & ardent hope.

Dr James Murray will collect during the Ladies Search Expedition.

With the friendliest

attachment

yr

Ferd Mueller

I send again a few ferns, of which one or the other may prove new.

Borya

Ptychospora Alexandrae