To Joseph Decaisne   8 July 1878

8/7/78.

I merely write a few lines, dear Prof De Caisne, to say, that I have forwarded to the Institute by this post a copy of the English Edition (enlarged by me) of Wittsteins Chemistry of plants.¹ I can send to M. Chevreul, Baron Dumas, yourself & other savants a copy of this translation, if desired. I hope you receive the fragmenta &c regularly.

As I have occasion to write to you, I would like to remark, that I have for several years past received not the slightest acknowledgement in the publications of france for my enormous efforts since nearly a quarter of a Century to push Eucalyptus culture into the mediterranean regions. For a long time, except by Mons le Doct. Planchon in the revue de deux mondes,² and by Dr Raveret-Wattel in his meritorious work on Eucalyptus,³ my name did not even appear on any occasion, altho' I had not only much toil but also much expense to promote and almost originate this culture of E Globulus in the mediterranean countries.

Has recently anything appeared on New Caledonian plants in the Annales des sciences naturelles? If so, please send me kindly the respective numbers, so that I may not overlook anything, when working on Papuan Plants. I never received any number of the Annales, since the large sending by M. Adolphe Brogniart⁴ & yourself several years ago.

Does Dr Bureau allow me to work up some of the New Caledonian orders? I would undertake Rubiaceae, Leguminosae & Myrtaceae, Dr Beccari intending also to give over to me these orders of his large collections.

Regardfully yours

Ferd. von Mueller

What do you think of my "select plants"?⁵

Eucalyptus Globulus

Leguminosae

Myrtaceae

Rubiaceae