To William Thiselton-Dyer   28 August 1878

28/8/78.

 

I thank you, dear Mr Dyer, for the copy of Baker’s flora of the Seychelles & Mauritius.1 This will do for the Office; I bought a copy for my private Library, though I can assure you, that such purchases fall heavy on me, for my votes remained in the garden.

What an enormous working power Mr Baker displayes! But then, what uncomparable facilities has he also for work.

Now, as Dr Sonder has sold his pharmaceutic business, he will be able to devote quietly a few years to the completion of the flora Capensis. You should accept him as full cooperator while you take Harvey’s place.2 I can understand his pangs of mental pain, if he was ejected out of the Flora Capensis, as I almost out of the Flora Austral3

Regardfully

Ferd. von Mueller

1
Baker (1877).
2
The first three volumes were by Harvey and Sonder (1859–64); subsequent volumes (1896-1925) were edited by W. Thiselton-Dyer. M had previously supported Sonder's claims to continued involvement; see M to H. Barkly, 8 October 1871 (in this edition as 71-10-08b) and notes thereto.
3
Bentham (1863–78).

Please cite as “FVM-78-08-28,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/78-08-28