To George Bentham¹    26 August 1866

26/8/66

By last mail, dear Mr Bentham, I did inform you, that I had shipped the rest of the Compositae by the Yorkshire, which ship left on the 21. July. It was one box, chiefly containing Gnaphaloideae, in all 23 Parcels.² In my letter by last mail also I alluded more specifically to the unusual circumstances, which caused the detention, and I enclose a copy of portion of that letter.³ Since I have received your note, dated 18 June,⁴ to which I now briefly reply. Dysoxylon oppositifolium is certainly meliacaous. The opp[osin]g⁵ leaves alone would not withdraw the plant from the genus. You find it fully described in the fragmenta.⁶ I have received again several sheets of proof, for which I am most grateful, and with which I am delighted. On the Eucalypti you have certainly bestowed much care and the arrangement for herbarium work is admirable. The identifications such as E. marginata, E. melliodora &c are very interesting. On the pages sent I forward a few notes. As the Yorkshire is likely to arrive by the beginning of October in London you will have the rest of the Compositae in time for additions to your manuscripts. But supposed the vessel should not make a good passage, it can assuredly be of no consequence, if the printing of the book is resumed a month earlier or later, a matter which entirely depends on you and not on the publisher. If the latter received not considerable subsidies, he might make exacting terms, but as it is he ought certainly to be guided by your wishes. My own idea was all along that the Australian work & that on the genera would appear simultaneously & if so I could have a fair opportunity to bring my share of discoveries out amidst very many much more urgent and pressing engagements devolving on me. If however the work is hurried ahead of the genera I shall, with the little sparetime I have, be placed in future at great disadvantage, especially in years of much unexpected extrawork in the Department as during the two last. I have however done much formerly among the Coralliforae, e.g. Stylideae, Goodeniaceae, Epacrideae, so that I hope to be not again in arrear. I must however attend also to my health; we are not bringing all frames alike robust into the world, and it would be a pity to see many like poor Harvey pass through overwork prematurely to the grave. On the other hand, I am certain you cannot wish, that a man, who spent 20 years of the best of his life for the elucidation of the Australian flora, should give nearly all his advantages up, dearly purchased, even to one so illustrious as you, who however, as never having seen Australia, has on its flora pardon me saying so no higher claim than on that of any other country. Kindly remember that the issue of an Australian flora was a main object for many years in my plan of life.⁷ That the flora now foreruns the genera shows already its disadvantages; for it deprived you of the opportunity to examine all Asteroideae simultaneously & thus you limit the genera, allow me to say so, at very unequal valuation. If for instance there exists enough to separate Olearia from Aster, and Brachycome from Bellis, it will be then equal [times] impossible to bring the angiantheae into five genera. Ozothamnus, as you will see from my notes I regard as a section of Helichrysum. The winterwork will have passed with this month and then I shall have 8 months before me during which my attention will be less divided though (I may almost say unfortunately) the first intercolonial Exhibition of Australia takes place this spring & summer⁸ & will claim some of that time, which I otherwise should have devoted to phytographic work. Drummonds plants are now arranged & you will receive them with the others. I shall ship the Goodeniae & Lobeliaceae (enough to fill one box) at the end of this or in the beginning of next year, as I have little to write for the 5. vol of the fragmenta, having abandoned the enquiry into the Helichrysoid plants to at least some extent.

Your regardfully attached

Ferd Mueller

My firm conviction is, that a few years delay would have been most advantageous for the elucidation or rather issue of the flora, the first volume being already very incomplete & a very few years would have sufficed to render known the rich north East. — Governments are not constantly induced to support work of this class and were I to attempt after a few years a new edition, I should get probably no support from the states and could probably neither here nor at home find a publisher, while the printing at our Gov. Office would probably not be allowed for the sake of economy. In Australia there seems as yet no call whatever for the work. There is and never was yet a single copy in any of the many large book shops of Victoria. This owes not perhaps so much to the want of interest but to the circumstance, that in a young busdling⁹ community no one has leisure to look far beyond the ordinary calls of life. In Europe to most the delay of the publication would have been no hardship, considering that R. Br made so little use of his material for upwards of fifty years. What a pity I ever worked on the flora of Australia! now almost in vain.

Angiantheae

Aster

Asteroideae

Brachycome

Compositae

Coralliforae

Dysoxylon oppositifolium

Epacridae

Eucalyptus marginata

Eucalyptus melliodora

Gnaphaloideae

Goodenia

Goodeniaceae

Helichrysum

Lobeliaceae

Olearia

Ozothamnus

Stylideae

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