Melbourne bot Garden
5/2/68.
From the byefollowing memorandum & bill of loading you will perceive, dear Mr Bentham, that the "True Britain" brings you an other consignment of plants. I am nearly ready with an other box of Monopetaleae, to be sent within a few days by the "Dover Castle and then an other can follow towards the end of the month by the Norfolk.1 These 2 will probably take all the rest of Corolliflorae, except Verbenaceae ([unless] Myoporinae) which alone will fill one large box, & that must go by the first clipper in March. Then the consignments for vol IV will be completed, unless you should really wish to press into it also Monochlamydeae.
The delay of sending will have to you some advantages, in as much as you will receive much additional information; indeed it involves to me in many instances far more labor to match a large series of specimens, then2 arises to you in briefly describing such already arranged material. It would be unwise to risk the sending of such valuable collections over the ocean, without previously notes thereon being extensively secured. I have placed a good deal of observations on Labiatae, Scrophular[inae]3 &c &c into the 44th number of the Fragmenta;4 still the new species are not numerous (three of Prostanthera &c)
You may blame me, that I not steadily continue to work exactly on those orders required by you. This apparent unsteadiness of purpose is easily accounted for; the frequent enquiries at my department on plants, the flowering of certain rare or new species in the garden necessitates often my engaging on examinations, which if my Directorat did not demand them, would stand over for a time. Thus I have lately examined ferns again & orchids for the reasons indicated. Still all this work will tend to lessen your own labor much hereafter. I think however, that if the political turmoils do not cause real troubles, I can quietly continue to help the flora on, because we had fortunately neither flood nor drought this season; there is also this year no intercolonial Exhibition or Leichhardt search to claim a large share of my spare time; and if my health not suffers again amidst work always here enormous, I think you will have a great deal of aid from me for some time to come.
In the interest of the "Flora" itself I could wish, you would not unduely hurry on the work! Let us bestow full time and consideration on it. You are in firm health & likely to enjoy many years of life after this great undertaking has crowned your labors. It would be far better to postpone the printing of the IV vol til after your Summer-tour so that the volume may appear at the end of the year.5 Indeed the last Monopetaleae cannot possibly arrive at Kew from here before the beginning of June. You will be pleased to hear, that I have incorporated Drummonds great collections and all my own supplemental collections into the genera (& often species), so that should providence call me suddenly away no difficulty will arise in your receiving all the Monochlamydeae, Monocotyledoneae & Acotyledoneae. Only do not press me to such extent that I injure my health by overwork; and to publish without my collections would bring about a dreadfully imperfect work.
Successive collections bring always one or the other genus, new to Australia. Thus I have lately added Aldrovanda, Cucurbita, Geophila Dracaena (distinct in testa albumen & embryo from Cordyline), Cirrhopetalum, Spathoglottis, Erycibe, Aniseia, Centotheca &c I have united Morgania to Limnophila, Glossostigma to Limosella6 &c. In working on Convolvulaceae I described the embryo of two Wilsoniae.7 Porana includes Duperreya.8 Isoetes in a new species has come from the eastern tropics! Involute & convolute leaves give in Prostanthera sectional characters as in Hibbertia, Pulteneae &c. It would be worth recording, that Goodenia ovata is [ever] flowering. Lindernia I reestablish in its wider sense. Bonnaya veronicifolia occurs in Queensland. I regard it a Lindernia,9 but B. crustaceae with RBr as Torrenia.10 Nearly half of RBr Monopetaleae will have finally to be reduced, but this surplus will be made up for by so many new species already discovered or even by [newer] in orders like Myoporinae &c
I have now Acrostichum scandens & Grammitis pinnata also from Australia. I think the supplemental volume should be divided, into two parts; one exclusive for species new to the work since its publication; the other parts for emendatory notes & additional information on the range of the species. In mixing new descriptions & additional notes, all clearness of sight over the material is lost.
Once more asking you not to push me to hard & wishing you every happiness & health
I remain your very regardful
Ferd Mueller.
H.R.H. Prince Alfred planted an Abies Alberti and a Saxono-Gothaea conspicua in my garden. The Prince was very affable.
The Hon. G. Verdon, our Minister of Finances, has given instructions to the Colonial Agent to honor your call for £100 at once out of fund at his disposal! Legally we cannot send anything from here until the two Houses of Parliament agreed to an Approriations Bill.11
I have Sowerbaea from Arnhems land!12
13 I overlooked in my printed notes, that Seeman identifies Jasminum gracile with J. Australe and J. divaricatum with J. didymum; also that Choisy reduced Ipomoea longiflora to Ipomoeae Bona Nox.14
What may be Cryphia? May it not be some Prostanthera?15
Abies Alberti
Acotyledoneae
Acrostichum scandens
Aldrovanda
Aniseia
Bonnaya crustaceae
Bonnaya veronicifolia
Centotheca
Cirrhopetalum
Convolvulaceae
Cordyline
Corolliflorae
Cryphia
Cucurbita
Dracaena
Duperreya
Erycibe
Geophila
Glossostigma
Goodenia ovata
Grammitis pinnata
Hibbertia
Ipomoea longiflora
Ipomoeae Bona Nox
Isoetes
Jasminum Australe
Jasminum didymum
Jasminum divaricatum
Jasminum gracile
Labiatae
Limnophila
Limosella
Lindernia
Monochlamydeae
Monocotyledoneae
Monopetaleae
Myoporinae
Porana
Prostanthera
Pulteneae
Saxono-Gothaea conspicua
Scrophularinae
Sowerbaea
Spathoglottis
Torrenia
Verbenaceae
Wilsonia
The following text is bound as f. 24, and is annotated in pencil in a unknown hand ‘Vol iv’, i.e. Bentham (1863-78), vol. 4. It has been included here on the following basis:
M normally worked up groups before they were sent to Kew for Bentham’s use (Lucas 2003). M’s analyses of the Jasmineae and the Convolvulacea were published in B67.12.01, pp 86 – 87 (Jasmineae) and B68.02.03, pp 96-101 (Convolvulaceae: Ipomoe longiflora, p. 98). This note was presumably written after M’s notes were published in February but before his extensive comments (M to G. Bentham, October 1868 [in this edition as 68-10-00a]) on the proof sheets containing these pages which M probably received in October 1868. The earliest date is thus February 1868.
Please cite as “FVM-68-02-05,” 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 23 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/68-02-05