From George Bentham   18 October 1876

25. WILTON PLACE. S.W.

London

Oct 18th 1876

My dear Sir

I write a few lines chiefly to beg you if not done already kindly to send off the Gramineae and Ferns as soon as possible¹ I begin to feel very anxious about the completion of this last volume of the Flora for I doubt whether my working powers will go on much longer

The Agamemnon does not appear to have yet arrived so that I have not actually drawn up much of the Cyperaceae for the descriptions would frequently have to be modified in consequence of the very varied specimens of your collections[.]² I have in the mean time being carefully studying Cyperaceae in the general herbarium especially those Indian ones particularly connected with the Australian species. I feel very much inclined generally to concur with Boeckeler's views but not quite always — the genera as he limits or extends them are sometimes too artificial and though generally he has very judiciously brought together a number of bad species he may sometimes have gone a little too far and on the other hand a few of his new species are not very distinct. But the great thing is that he appears to be exact and his work is careful whilst Steudels³ is grossly the reverse

I hear nothing from Wendland about his Palms — that is about your Palms which he has — if he does not send them that part of the Flora will be imperfect for I cannot concur in his and Drude's generic views⁴

Young Balfour is working up Pandanus with great care and Genl Munro is very steadily and zealously preparing his monograph of Gramineae which will be a most important one⁵

Yours very sincerely

George Bentham

Baron Ferd v. Mueller

Cyperaceae

Gramineae

Pandanus