To Joseph Hooker   4 July 1868

Melbourne botan. Garden

4 July 1868.

This day, dear Dr Hooker, I forwarded box No. 43 by the "Anglesey" to you. I have done my best to push on preparing the material for the fifth volume,¹ and as I have only manual assistance for trivial kinds of work the preparation of the material involves far more toil than either Mr Bentham or yourself are likely to suppose. We are here too poor in this department to engage scientific assistance. We are here not well endowed and there is far more asked for direct practical planting purposes and such like operations than the means at my disposal, administered with ever so much care, will admit of, and had it not been for extensive private means of mine vested in the Garden and more particularly in its scientific branches by myself, the department could not have risen to what it is now.

The Box this time sent is a very large one. I could not have ventured to put so many plants together in one box on account of the crushing pressure thus given to the lower parcels, did not this consignment contain many woody plants, which on the bottom of the box will sustain such pressure. I must ask you however kindly to direct, when the box is to be repacked, that the bottom is in a similar manner occupied by woody plants, such as Casuarinae or Cycadeae. In this cool planting season I have many outdoor calls, but I will do what I can to push off the remainder of the Monochlamydeae within 2 or the utmost 3 months, provided I fall not ill again by overwork, for which there is unfortunately every prospect. The Thymeleae, Santalaceae, Amarantaceae and Salsolaceae will fill one large or two smaller boxes, which I mean to send in a few weeks. Then there will be only left Proteaceae, a very large and particularly bulky division of the collection, but plants on which one can make quick progress while examining, the characters being so very apparent.

Box 42 went by the Lincolnshire on 16 June, 1868.

for Vol V

Box 41 pr Essex on the 18 May.

Box 40 pr Great Britain 14, March.

Box 39 by the same ship on the same date

Box 38 pr Norfolk on 29 Febr 1868

Box 37 pr Dovercastle on the 11 Febr

Box 36 pr True Britain on 25 Jan.²

Of all these I have yet (and could not yet) no knowledge of their safe arrival It is never without trembling for fear of losses that I send these Consignments off.³

With regardful

salutation your

Ferd. von Mueller

5/7/68

I found the large box would not take all the parcels and thus have had to add a small one, which to fill I sent 3 parcels (part of) Santalaceae. The mail is just telegraphed and thus I learn that the True Britain⁴ arrived safely.⁵

I venture to send my normal and supplemental collections of Lichenes, with a solicitation that they may be sent to the Rev Mr Leighton for examination, Lichenology having advanced into a new phasis since Dr Hampe reported on mine. The revgentlemans examination, if published, would be so much toward the cryptogamic volume of the Austral flora. Kew is welcome to Duplicates & so [Mr] Leighton

An early elaboration of Cycadeae & Casuarinae⁶ might still be useful for D.C. prodromus⁷

Prof Parlatore has had my Coniferae⁸

Has Xanthorrhoea minor ever flowered at Kew?

Late telegrams say that the Great Britain, Norfolk, Dover Castle did arrive.

I have sent some fungi for inspection to the Rev Mr Berkeley & some contain duplicates which need not all be returned. I trust they will come in time for the rev Gentleman's paper. It is my normal collection.

Amarantaceae

Casuarinae

Coniferae

Cycadeae

Lichenes

Monochlamydeae

Proteaceae