From Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham   14 June 1868

14/6/68.

I owe you, dear Mr Bentham, an answer to your kind letter of 16 April, which was coming here later than usual. I feel indebted for your and Dr Hookers remarks on the Apostasia, which in the absense of seeds I did not recognize. Aldrovanda will probably be found yet in many parts of India entangled with Limnophilas.

I am sorry the Superb made such a tardy passage and that thus your own labors have been delayed. The other boxes by the True Britain¹ (sailed 25 Jan), by the Dover Castle (sailed 11 Febr) by the Norfolk (sailed 25 Febr) and by the Great Britain (sailed 14 March - two boxes) will have reached you I trust timely as well as the small packages of plants, which I forwarded in March in his Excellencys Despatch Bag. You will have found the plants well worked out in most instances and will have received the successive numbers of the Fragmenta, dwelling on them. I have sent this day by the Lincolnshire Box 42 containing Monochlamydeae and I forwarded on the 18 of May by the Essex Euphorbiaceae & a few other plants in Box 41.

Now I am engaged in giving a finishing touch to the Salsolaceae which with Polygoneae and Amarantaceae will fill a large box to be despatched in a few weeks together with the rest of the Laurineae. Then I have to send I hope in July the Santalaceae, the Thymeleae, Coniferae & Casuarinae, which will leave for the next months the Proteaceae. The latter I must, to lessen risks, break up into several consignments; they will probably require 4 or 5 large boxes, being bulky specimens. In as much as I shall have no special extrawork this year (I trust) except such as arises in the Department out of the Parliamentary conflict² and except some attention to be given practically to forest-culture, I shall not get likely into arrear again, unless my health again gives way. I am not likely to undertake any voyage or journey in 1868 & 1869 and perhaps 1870, were it only to bring by that time the Australian Flora to a close. At the marvellous rate, in which you proceed, the Monochlamydeae will clearly be ready in 1869 and the Monocotyledoneae in 1870, ferns also.

What is to be done with the other cryptogams must be an after-consideration. As a step towards their elucidation I will send all my fungi in the next box, to be handed over to the Rev Mr Berkely,³ who fortunately applies his great talent and experience now to the Australian fungi. I look forward with very great interest to the next successive mails, which are likely through your kindness to bring the prove sheets of the 4th volume. If RBrown had lived to see the result he even would have been astonished when he compared the differences of the records in the Flora and the prodromus.⁴ The three numbers of the Fragmenta, published in Febr, March and April⁵ you will have received. They were mainly devoted to Monopetaleae. I shall have ready probably an other number in time for this mail, but it contains no monopetaleae. In May & June I am excessively engaged in providing nearly 100,000 plants for the Church & School-Reserves and the Cemeteries &c of this country; besides with extensive progressive work on my 400 acres under cultivation in this garden. This year I line the River Yarra with trees.

I fear your precious health will suffer by your incessant work and this will be lamentable. A man highly honored in Society and Science, who has won his laurels so long ago, who has ample fortunes and a kind consort, should - allow me to say - not bring his luminous carrier⁶ to an earlier conclusion, than the calm course of life will bring about. Why, dear Mr Bentham, you ought at least to attain Humboldts age and might take an example on the glorious Martius, who does work industriously but not overworks himself. I am quite shocked at the idea, expressed in your last letter, that you would not see the supplement published (say in 1871) to which I alluded and about which in one of my last letters I wished early to consult you.⁷ The Flora is your crowning work and you should bring out the supplement also, for which I will give you every cordial assistance. I have done all along what I could for it, though I do not enjoy your firm health nor your prosperous independence of private life.

With regardful salutation

Ferd. von Mueller.

Would it not be well to forward the Fici (about 30) to Bureau. It would save you much labor.⁸

Aldrovanda

Amarantaceae

Apostasia

Casuarinae

Coniferae

Euphorbiaceae

Ficus

Laurineae

Limnophila

Monochlamydeae

Monocotyledoneae

Monopetaleae

Polygoneae

Proteaceae

Salsolaceae

Santalaceae

Thymeleae