To George Bentham   22 February 1874

[Carngham]1

beyond Ballarat.

22/2/74.

 

On my way to the unexamined mountains W. of Cape Otway, dear Mr Bentham, I write to you for this month's mail only a few lines, mainly to ask you, when you want me to send the Liliaceae &c. Four very large size boxes of Monocoytledoneae and one or two with ferns will have to be sent as material for the 7th vol., but as you have work in hands for our late friend Martius's work,2 and as you may wish to give also early attention to the continuation of the "genera",3 I will keep the collections here, until you are really ready for them.

They are worked up except a portion of the Cyperaceae & Junceae; so your task will be comparatively an easy one.

I rejoyce with all other votaries of our branch of science, that Dr Hooker has been called to the chair, once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton, which honor we must all the more appreciate, as no working phytographer occupied that eminent position since the days of Sir Hans Sloane.4

With deep regards your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Dr Sonder writes, that he only got the three first volumes of the Flora Australiensis. If you can manage to send him the 3 last ones also, I shall be particularly obliged, especially as he lent his plants for the work.5

 

Cyperaceae

Junceae

Liliaceae

Monocoytledoneae

Carngham Station, owned by Philip Russell, was south-west of Ballarat, Vic.
Bentham (1876). See Bentham to M, 13 January 1873.
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83).
Hooker was elected President of the Royal Society of London in 30 November 1873, and served until 1878; Hans Sloane immediately succeeded Newton, presiding over the Royal Society from 1727 to 1741.
M paid for three copies of Bentham (1863-78), at least of volume one, to be sent to Professors Rafn, Lange and Forchhammer of Copenhagen (M to G. Bentham, 13 May 1863). Sonder received at least volume 1 direct from Bentham, presumably as one of those 'who have assisted me' (G. Bentham to M, 15 August 1863); see his letter thanking Bentham (W. Sonder to G. Bentham, 11 September 1863 (RBG Kew, archives GEB/1/9/3692).

Please cite as “FVM-74-02-22a,” 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 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/74-02-22a