Melbourne bot. Garden,
6 March 1869.
It affords me much pleasure, dear Mr Manners-Sutton, to send 4 Pines for the auspicious purpose of being entrusted to the ground by H.R.H.1 I send the largest Libanon Cedar, which I had available in the nursery. It is nearly two years old, the tree being slow of growth. To lift a larger one from any of the lawns would be precarious and take more time than would at a moments notice be available. The three other pines are all species from Her Majesty's possessions.
Pinus Taeda, is a native of the South of Canada, where it is called the Loblolly Fir. It attains a hight of rather more than 100'.2 It is one of the noblest of all Firs.
Pinus (Abies) Webbiana is one of the most magnificent of all Himalaian Spruces. At Butan,3 12-13000' high, it forms the Main-forest. It is the Raisalla- or Chilron-Pine.
Of Araucaria Cunninghami of N. S. Wales and Queensland I selected a grey variety of great rarity.
While presenting my homage to the Prince, I beg to observe, that the Saxono-Gothaea conspicua4 of Patagonia and the Pinus Alberti5 of Mexico and California, kindly planted as memorial trees by H.R.H. last year in the botanic Garden of Melbourne, have well grown and are verdant.
With much regards
Ferd. von Mueller
Perhaps the Duke of Edinburgh would feel pleasure in planting all 4.
Abies Webbiana
Pinus Taeda
Pinus Webbiana
Araucaria Cunninghami
Saxono-Gothaea conspicua
Pinus Alberti
Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, was visiting Melbourne on a second, more informal, visit, following his official tour in 1868 (ADB). He undertook some official duties, lincluding laying the foundation stone of the Prince Alfred Hospital on 6 March ('Prince Alfred Hospita'l, Age (Melbourne), 8 March 1869, p. 3). M evidently expected the trees to be planted at Toorak, the Governor's residence, because if he had thought that the Prince might plant a tree at the Gardens he would have had them ready for a visit. No contemporary record of any of these trees being planted has been found.
100 feet.
i.e. Bhutan.
Saxegothaea conspicua? M used the spelling 'Saxono-Gothaea' in other letters and in editions of Select extra-tropical plants…, attributing the name to Lindley (presumably Lindley (1851), p. 258; However, Lindley used 'Saxe-Gothaea' for 'this remarkable plant, to which His Royal Highness Prince Albert has been pleased to permit one of his titles to be given').
Presumably the species listed as Abies Albertiana in M to C. von Martius, 3 March 1868, and Abies Alberti in M to G.Bentham, 5 February 1868. In Knight (1868), p. 192, it is given as Abies albertii. No listing in IPNI of Pinus alberti, P. albertii or P. albertiana.
Please cite as “FVM-69-03-06b,” 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