To George Bentham   1 December 1872

Melbourne bot. Garden

1/12/72

Private

Your kind letter of 21 Sept, dear Mr Bentham, is before me. A large box with Orchideae was sent off by the Steamer Somersetshire, at the end of August. I trust that it will reach you safely, and that thus no impediments will arise to your labors, so far as Australia is concerned.

As for myself, I am ruined as a scientific man, at least for the present. By the withdrawal of half the votes (small as they were) I am reduced from 10 gardeners (or garden-labourers) to 3,¹ and have the 4 month of terror (as regards heat) before me, without water except such as is raised by the costly process of steam power. As all my remonstrances to get my small vote restored have gone for nothing, I must assume, that it is the intention to starve me out. My only hope is, to be transferred to an other Minister and that measure would also be the only honorable solutation² of the question concerning our suffering friend Dr Hooker.³ The only youth whom I could for the last 3 years employ in my Museum, I had to withdraw, to effect weeding &c in the Garden. All Museum & literary work is absolutely at a standstill. All this I have mainly to adscribe to the shameless persecution of Mr Edw Wilson's "Argus" and "Australasian"

With intense interest I look forward to the new volume of genera.⁴

Always yours

With grateful regards

Ferd. von Mueller

Orchideae