To Joseph Hooker   31 December 1869

New Years eve 1869.

 

It is extremely pleasing to me, dear Dr Hooker, that the big Todea proved so attractive at Kew.1 Probably you will devote a plate to it in the bot. Magazine, to give all the world a good idea of the huge dimensions of this extraordinar fern.2 Some individual plants in our ranges must be many hundred years old, and when once full attention is drawn to the age and size of these ferns, then unquestionably a brisk trade from South Australia and more particularly from Victoria, N.S. Wales, Queensland, Tasmania & South Africa will spring up in these plants, without which no large conservatory anywhere should be. I am obliged for your information respecting the safe arrival of the plants by the Ship "Norfolk"

I dare say the illustrious Prof Owen will be pleased with the imitation in Gypsum of our greatest Goldmass.3 The specimen cast to which you refer as lodged at the School of Mines must assuredly be a different and smaller one, in as much as the present one was only found in 1869 & none but this one cast went ever to England, nor is likely another to be sent!

Dr Welwitch's interesting information on the Pa[nicum]s4 proved very acceptable.

Mr C Moore, who paid me this week a visit, is likely to accompany Earl Bellmore to Lord Howe's Island on short trip. But our maingathering of plants will be through an intelligent youth resident on the island, who will be able to watch the plants at all seasons.

The photogram just received I shall treasure much.5

The Aloes, Orchids &c arrived safely and I feel very glad for all these boons from your great treasures. I look forward with gratitude to the Pitcherplants Eriophorum which are to come by the "George Thomson"6 — I am glad to say, that I raised Ranunculus Flammula from the seeds sent by you. I wished much I had R. Lingua, & Calla palustris along side of it in my garden lake. Do the Pitcherplants not produce seeds? I raised Nepenthes distillatoria from seeds.

I have written for the R.S. of Tasmania an essay on the plants observed by me in my journey to Mt Field &c.7

Dr Becklers alpine photograms8 are splendid.

With best wishes for the new year

Ferd. von Mueller

 

Calla palustris

Eriophorum

Nepenthes distillateria

Panicum

Ranunculus Flammula

Ranunculus Lingua

Todea

 
1
See J. Hooker to M, 10 September 1869.
2
J. Hooker (1872); see also J. Hooker to M, April 1872 (in this edition as 72.04.00).
3
See M to J. Hooker, 11 August 1869 (in this edition as 69-08-11b).
4
Not found.
5
There is a photograph of Hooker in M's album at MEL that may be the one referred to here.
6
George Thompson.
7
B71.13.05. The paper was read at the meeting of the Royal Society of Tasmania on 8 March 1870, after which a special vote of thanks was proposed to M as a ‘savant of such world-wide fame, and whose scientific labours are so much greater than we are aware of [who communicates] so freely with this Society, when so many other corresponding members are silent’ (Papers and proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania for 1870, p. 4).
8
Not identified.

Please cite as “FVM-69-12-31a,” 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 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/69-12-31a