From George Bentham   18 June 1868

25 WILTON PLACE, S.W.

June 18 /68

My dear Sir

Since I last wrote the three vessels in which you sent the remaining Monopetalae have arrived safely — in the inverse order in which they sailed the Great Britain first then the Norfolk and lastly the Dover Castle the boxes were rather long clearing but those from the Great Britain which were the longest reached Kew last week — all as far as I have seen in good condition. — I sent you some sheets of the new volume by this mail via Southampton but waited to write as I had not yet the Great Britain boxes — you have I supposed received from Kew the bill of lading of the Epacrideae etc which were sent some time since. — Another box will be ready in a few days with a few parcels that would not go into the last one and some others I have now done with.

I had just got through Convolvulaceae when these boxes arrived and since then I have been revising with your specimens — the correcting proofs checking references etc also takes up much of my time — besides that I have had to devote a good deal of time to the Linnean Society especially to my annual address and other not very scientific business

Your Thozetia can I believe stand I have at any rate adopted it. It is however very near Hoya — several Asiatic species of which have membranous leaves.

I am afraid Maccoya will not do You observed how near it is to Rochelia¹ and one of Boissiers Rochelias has the same multiplication of calycine lobes — the habit is quite the same.

I duly received yours of 29th March.² With regard to your observations on genera I can only say that if you can find "some firm character by which at a moment we could firmly find out the limits" of a large genus — or at least of the great majority of large genera you would render a great service to science. I find all characters of genera tribes and Orders occasionally break down in intermediate or abnormal species. There is certainly no character without exception for Acacia Eugenia Aster Solanum Salvia etc — at least I have always found here and there species which pass into other groups

I fear I shall not get all the Monopetalae into the present volume. The numbers grow upon me more than I foresaw — and there are still no doubt many more tropical ones. At any rate you need be in no hurry to send any Monochlamydeae. I shall certainly not be able to begin them till next spring — and at my age life is so uncertain that I may never come to them.

Hooker is at work at the Genera³ and I shall have to do something towards it this winter — one thing prevents our hurrying that on is that it is a heavy expense to us. My income is not large and the Linnean Society entails considerable expense so that I cannot afford much for pure science. We hope however to print a part in the spring⁴

Ever yours sincerely

George Bentham

Dr F. Mueller

Acacia

Aster

Convolvulaceae

Epacrideae

Eugenia

Hoya

Maccoya

Monochlamydeae

Monopetalae

Salvia

Solanum

Thozetia