To Joseph Hooker   12 April 1869

Melbourne bot. Garden,

12/4/69

As indicated by last overland mail, dear Dr Hooker, you will now receive by the Anglesey the rest of the Dicotyledoneae for Mr Bentham's use.

They are in two large boxes and all examined with especial care; and in their forward state of examination will render the work for Mr Bentham comparatively easy. I am anxious to see the Flora finished by my lifetime, and as my health continues frail, I am glad that I got so far, and wish now only that Mr Bentham may push also on the work.

In the limited spare time left to me I now commence to work finally on Monocotyledoneae, and hope to have done with them before the end of the year, so that the next may be devoted to the supplemental volume. Pray aid as far as you can in getting the Acotyledoneae done by your English friends. You must have large collections at Kew, and if not soon a commencement is made the cryptogamic volume¹ will not be ready in time. Algae and Ferns might be looked on as done. If Fungi, Lichens, Lichenastra & Musci were anew worked up, as far as the English material goes, we would have a fair frame work for future researches.

Prof Lindberg will have looked over my mosses during next winter. But it would be well to have the opinion of an independent English observer on these plants also, of which I sent to Kew very many. The Lichens according to the new method need all careful revisal, and about Fungi is almost nothing extant, safe² the Tasmanian section;³ so I hope Mr Berkeley will come to the rescue.

If we had once a good groundwork, I should more readily be able to work on them locally if I live. So do your best with Mr Benthams aid to set matters going.

Always your regardful

Ferd. von Mueller.

Acotyledoneae

Algae

Dicotyledoneae

Fungi

Lichen

Lichenastra

Monocotyledoneae

Musci