To James Stirling   2 November 1882

Private

2/11/82

You will have found it strange, dear Mr Stirling, that I should not have earlier acknowledged your kindness of sending me, excellently colored and clearly indicated geologically, the geographic map of the Alps. The fact is, that the¹ parcel, when it arrived, got mixed up with some others, and only turned now up again in my small temporary office.

It does you infinite credit, to have worked out with Mr Howitts help, the geology of your district so well. In one respect I cannot help expressing regret, when looking on this map; it is the systematic manner in which all my early & toilsome work for the geography of the Australian Alps has become suppressed, even to the extent of the real Mt Hotham and to Mt Latrobe,² though they were named in a special despatch from Omeo as far back as 1854,³ after my having ascended the two mountains, fixed approximately their position and measured their height near enough, though with the most scanty of instruments. That despatch was at the time at once placed before the then "Council" by Sir Charl Hotham, long before I came back to Melbourne printed, irrespective of my fuller account of the Alps in my annual Report of 1855,⁴ written and printed before I went to Arnhem's Land. You will kindly understand, that I am to some extent aware, how these arbitrary and unjust changes in the nomenclature of several of our highest mountains occurred or were brought about long before your time; still it must be source of lasting regret, that in this way also the names of Sir Th. Mitchell & Sir Andrew Clarke, two of the three first Surveyor Generals of our Territory became obliterated! Is there no means of remedying this yet?⁵ Priority should also be respected in Geography⁶

But now let me say, as more to the point at present, that we must not attempt more in first instance, than to note the names of those plants, which are almost absolutely confined to marked geologic formations, except the gregarious kinds of trees, which constitute real forests and therefore great physiographic features. In this sense I have also written some time ago to Mr Howitt.⁷

By December the first volume with all "Vasculares" of Australia will be through the press⁸ unless I should fall ill, and I certainly overworked myself for some months past. A copy will be sent you, and that will facilitate your insights also in the Flora there!

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

There is no hurry for notes concerning the tracing of particular plants to strict geologic areas, as my next lecture will be delivered only after autumn. I would advise you, to continue your notes on elevations of various species, and I will look up my own data, mostly yet unpublished, on the same subject, though one of my fieldbooks was lost in one of the journeys, which happened to be one of particular sufferings and distress. Kindly keep your eye on minute & other mosses, where-ever in fruit, also on lichens. Among the sedges may also yet be novelty

Concise climatic statistics very acceptable indeed.