To George Bentham   28 February 1878

28/2/78.

I write this to you, dear Mr Bentham, from near the Grampians,¹ being engaged as a Commissioner with 6 members of our Parliament, to enquire into the prospect of continuing the supply of tannersbark of Acacia decurrens & your A. pycnantha along with what is needed for the local tanneries here in years to come. If it interests you and Sir Jos Hooker I will send you the report;² but from my former Directorial Colleague at Kew³ I hear so rarely, that I have almost lost the courage to send him any such document any more.

I owe you also some notes of corrections & additions to the Glumaceae, altho' I am not at all clear, whether you care for them. This however I should mention, that Australia is not altogether destitute of Bambusaceae, however poor this continent may be in this grand form of gramineous plants.⁴ Thus one tall bamboo grows 80 miles up the Adelaide River⁵, an other in the back country of Camden Harbour,⁶ while Carron saw one during Kennedy's sad expedition between Endeavour-River & Cape York,⁷ as recorded in the narrative of that disastrous journey.⁸ When the Palm country of N E Queensland becomes more unlocked, at present closed by jungle fevers & cannibals, then probably also more Bambusaceae will come to light, though of course it is so diff[icult]⁹ to get their flowers.

One of the greatest omission in the 7 volumes¹⁰ consists in this: the Murray River (after all only a narrow stream) should cover localities for three colonies (S.A., V., N.S.W) whereas frequently two or even only one colony is mentioned in connection with the Murray-R. Except the alpine plants at or near its sources, the desert — & lowlands — plants extend from the junction of the Mitta Mitta right down to Lake Alexandrina on both banks of the river. This I repeatedly pointed out before.¹¹

I am not yet ready with my arrangements for the supplemental volume, the point of cost for the print being the obstacle; and I shall have great difficulty even to push through before the Eucalyptus Atlas.¹² Meanwhile I add to my notes daily, & got access to new localities during the latter part of last year widely throughout West Australia.¹³

I have now also a Microstylis from North Queensland & a spinescent small-flowered Graptophyllum.¹⁴

Dr Beccari has visited me here a few weeks ago,¹⁵ & I have made arrangements with that excellent & generous man for the elaboration of the Papuan plants, so that we shall not clash. There is material enough to provide for all present workers in Europe, without one encroaching on the fair territory of an other.

My prospects here are still cheerless, though the present Ministry has acted far fairer to me than that of former years, since Sir Henry Barkly left. I wished to God, that I had such a sterling man here to appeal to. He would soon resuscitate my Department, with his genial circumspectness, superior intellect and active energy. I cannot express to you, how sad I feel, how I am daily hindered in my work, & with what piratical audacity advantage is taken of my work & the resources, which I established.

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller.

I have just received the proofsheets, continuing the Gramineae.¹⁶ It must have taxed you severely, to work out all the details connectedly.

Acacia decurrens

Acacia pycnantha

Bambusaceae

Glumaceae

Graptophyllum

Microstylis