From Ferdinand von Mueller to Joseph Hooker   22 Feb 1874

[Carngham],¹ beyond Ballarat,

22/2/74

I write these lines to you, dear Dr Hooker, on my way to the utterly unexplored ranges west of Cape Otway, as I do not want to miss the very first opportunity of offering to you my homage at your elevation to Sir Isaac Newton's chair. All engaged in phytologic research must feel themselves honored through your election, so well deserved and sure to be so dignifiedly maintained, more particularly as since the days of Sir Hans Sloane no really working phytographer has occupied the throne of British science.²

Let me hope, that amidst the additional obligations, which your new and lofty position must involve, your health will remain firm and undisturbed.

It is possible, that my new journey for 2 or 3 weeks will not yield anything absolutely new; but it is not unlikely, that I may find yet within Victoria now several other Tasmanian plants not previously recorded from Australian continental positions. At all events the ranges alluded to, though I approached them from St Vincents Gulf overland as far back as 1848, when I had still to arm myself against the natives,³ ought to be included in my phytographic survey, and ought to make me more extensively acquainted with the geographic area of several species.

With regardful remembrance

Ferd. von Mueller

I found, while at Mt Kosciusko,⁴ that Herpelirion⁵ has a 3 valved capsule, but I was too early to get seeds ripe enough for close examination of their structure.

Herpelirion