To Joseph Hooker   6 July 1879

6/7/79.

By this post, dear Sir Joseph, I send you a few more plates of the Eucalyptography,¹ and I hope to submit to you soon the two or three first decades complete. Sad to record, my poor draftsman Austin,² after a long and severe illness (nephritis) has died and this needs now the training of another artist for the purpose.

Times are very bad here; there is a great deficit in the expected revenue and it is therefore very doubtful, whether my labours even in their merely literary shape, will continue supported to its small extent as before. The Ministry, now in power, seems far more favorable to me than that of Mr Francis, but there is no concealing of the fact (pointed out to you six years ago), that I have lost all hold on the country since I had to surrender my bot Garden. As discarded Director, unjust & cruel as it is, I must leave Victoria during our “Worlds exhibition” next year,³ if indeed I should live so long, what in my continued grief seems very doubtful.

I had last afternoon in a country district to speak on Rust in support of a lecture by Mr M’Ivor,⁴ and I showed the audience the original plates of Puccinia graminis & Uredo Rubigo, given by the sponsor of your baptism in 1806⁵ (in Koenig's & Sim's Annales.)⁶ This reminded me vividly of you, dear Sir Joseph, and let⁷ me to contemplate, how gloriously your fathers friend, the Naturalist of Cooks first expedition, through yourself and your youngest son, will connect the 18th with the 20th century!

That must be a triumph to you, far greater than any other!

I have found out, that your Euc. Gunnii does really embrace E. Stuartiana also, and that thus it is not merely alpine but like E. pauciflora (E. coriacea A.C.) also a tall timbertree in the lower regions.⁸

Let me remain,

dear Sir Joseph,

regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

Many thanks for the seeds successively sent. This helps to keep the wreck of my Department afloat. I trust you will be able to carry Prof. M'Coys election at the Royal Society and perhaps you may have a chance to make Dr Rudall also a F.R.S; he was Surgeon also of one of Ships in search or in support of the search after Sir John Franklin, rescuing Belcher; this I forgot to mention.⁹ Dr Curling FRS, is a particular friend of this really splendid Surgeon. He stands thus far [out] as ophthalmologist also at the head of our profession here.

Eucalyptus coriacea

Eucalyptus Gunnii

Eucalyptus pauciflora

Eucalyptus Stuartiana

Puccinia graminis

Uredo Rubigo