To Asa Gray   7 August 1875

Melbourne 7/8/75.

Private

I have to acknowledge, dear Dr Gray, your kindness of sending me the new volume of the hist. of plants of Wilkes's Expedition,¹ as well as several of your valuable publications. To one of the latter from the American journal of science & arts, April 1875,² I shall at some length refer in this letter. I was also glad to learn from Mr. Sargent, that the Todea, which was a private gift of mine, has reached Cambridge (Boston) safely. I was the first to introduce these huge ferns to Europe, though it might have been done 300 years ago from South Africa and nearly 100 years ago from New South Wales. It is also pleasing to me, that I have mainly initiated the large export of ferntrees to Europe and solely to N. America now also; and so it is with the already extensive export of tall Cycasstems from Queensland. I mention all this to show you, that I am actively still engaged in horticultural interchanges; thus therefore all Mr. Sargents sendings can be directed to me as before.

I am delighted at the progress of your N. American Flora, which will to a large extent elucidate also that of Canada & Mexico. At the end of this century, so I anticipate, nearly all the plants of the globe will be known & a complete system, except of minute cryptogams, be constructed. In Australia now already novelties turn up very sparingly, though we will occasionally trace additional Indian plants into this continent.

I trust you will forgive me, my venerable friend, when I defend my poor "Fragmenta" against Bentham's assertion, that they are "comparatively useless" on account of want of method!³ I first intended to defend myself in the new number of the Fragmenta, but will pass it, though I feel injured. Had I titled this unpretending record of new discoveries or cursory observations an "Australian Flora", then simply the &⁴ content would not well accord, though the usefulness could even then not be disputed. Fragments are carried together in this instance, to serve subsequently for the building of a whole, and I thought to deserve some praise for having kept these fragmentary notes together in a series of volumes, instead of scattering them through the journals of many years of several nations, then of course far less accessible.⁵ Why such publication should according to the idea of our great friend be discouraged I have utterly failed to understand! Just as well the bot Magazine (which without Pritzels⁶ index is difficult to use) and still more so all fragmentary observations in journals ought not to be published, but be laid aside, until after perhaps many years a monographer turns up to use a small portion of some such notes, and according to this harsh & discouraging dictum, no one ought to touch a rare imperfectly known or new plant, unless he was rich in worldly means & at command of much time to plunge into extensive essays. No one except at Kew, Paris, Geneve and a few other places then should be allowed to work! — Be it enough — I am convinced Mr. B. is himself sorry for his hasty remark against poor Miquel, who can no longer defend himself⁷ and against me. B. in the Flora Australiana (not correctly called Fl. Australiensis)⁸ uses my Fragmenta for every page. The Fragm. have guarded him against endless errors, into which he would have fell, and the Fragmenta also have cleared up subsequently numerous incorrect treatments of the plants in the volumes of the flora published before. I have not made a single remark, that could have given umbrage, though Mr B. has not shown to me as a younger man working with far less facility always the same consideration. Ganophyllum, though sent by me as a distinct genus, is included in B. Euroschinus falcatus, though it does not even belong to Anacardiaceae; many other grave errors could be pointed out as cleared up in the Fragmenta. The species are vastly overrated by Bentham. Thus Diplolaena has but 1, Microcybe but 1, Geleznowia but 1 &c &c This gives 3 instead of 10 spec., even if 9 of the genera can be maintained. Thus altho' I have added 350 spec. in the Fragmenta to B.'s six volumes, yet I had to reduce more than that number of his as untenable. Here a difference of opinion arises as to species. If I take for a type of a real species homo sapiens, I can still, imperfect as our knowledge yet is of the forms of all species of plants, find some standard for specific value. Our illustrious friend not believing in species as created, but adopting permanent varieties (a contradiction in itself) seeks more in tact than in research a hopeful settled limitation of species. Hence his views are very different to mine. Let me respect his, as I would fain hope he will respect those of a younger worker. Perhaps, my revered friend, you may deem all this narrow-minded on my part; but kindly remember, among what people I have here cast my lot. Here as a foreigner I am enveyed, resulting in my votes, my buildings, my staff &c nearly all being swept away. My few real adversaries will take up remarks, such as Mr B.'s about the uselessness of the Fragm., just as an adverse remark on my naming of plants, quite in contradiction to facts, was allowed by the excellent Dr. Masters⁹ to slip into the Gardeners Chronicle lately, to be used here against me. I shall nevertheless continue the Fragmenta, so long as providence leaves me strength & sight. I can depose therein any novelties, and also any corrections and additional notes on localities. Good & full indices make the use of the volumes easy enough, and as you will see in the 8th¹⁰ (at its end) I have enumerated all the species added since Bentham's writing. Thus for a supplemental volume the material gradually accrues. The arrangement in the differt¹¹ numbers is not altogether without method, always commencing with higher Dicotyledoneae. That I am possessed of some little idea of method, where necessary, I have shown in the "plants of Victoria"!¹² How — dear Doctor — could B. have worked out these volumes so rapidly, without my prior labor? About 70 large cases of plants,¹³ with few exceptions, all spec. examined were gradually in the dozen years sent to him. One very large case with examined Cyperaceae, an other with Gramineae & an other with ferns is ready. I told our venerable friend myself, that I regretted he had undertaken the Flora of Austr., it overthrew my literary plans of life. The work is already very imperfect & should have been left to myself, when I could have finished it at last at Kew. Then by this time the genera (a far more important work)¹⁴ would have been ready & perhaps also the Flora of India & trop. Africa. Though B. is the author, my labor for the work after 28 years stay and travels in Australia, at a sacrifice of £ 10,000 of private means, are far greater, then those of B. Yet I gave even cheerful a subsidy to each volume out of the slender means of the Department, for which the lithograms might have been continued¹⁵ Excuse my scandinavian frankness & let me remain your regardful

Ferd von Mueller.

The notes for the Fragmenta were often compiled at late night ours¹⁶ after the turmoils & fatigue of office work, in a new young colony, where is yet under the first process of formation.

Anacardiaceae

Cycas

Cyperaceae

Diplolaena

Euroschinus falcatus

Ganophyllum

Geleznowia

Microcybe

Todea