21.11.83.
Herewith, dear Mr. Jackson, I beg to send you a copy of part of a letter from Dr. Fournier, just received,1 concerning the priority of Vahea over Landolphia, as this question will interest you not only for these genera but in many other respects for your nomenclator.2 I also forward a copy of the important prospectus, found by Dr. Fournier, as this renders it conclusive, how far the “illustration des genres”3 had actually appeared up to 1796. As you and Mr. Britten4 took such an interest in clearing up the dates of Rees’ Cyclopedia,5 you likely will give some attention to this question now.
I intended to have written a letter on the subject in Trimen’s journal or rather now Britten’s journal of Botany, but I have been suffering for fully two months from so severe a bronchial catarrh, that I had to keep to my rooms all that time;6 the cough has slightly abated now, but as there is some emphysema, it is doubtful whether I will recover. My parents both died early on phthisis, and hereditary inclination to that fatal disease brought me out to this warmer clime as soon as I left the University. In the wet season it is however even here too cold for me. I am just going up into a solid forest region with the hope of benefitting from the moist equable air there. I feel very weak. Am very sorry to hear of Mr. Bentham’s failing strength, but hope, that after some rest he will still be able to resume his great phytographic labours.7
Regardfully your
Ferd. Von Mueller.
Landolphia
Vahea
See E. Fournier to M, 24 September 1883 (in this edition as 83-09-24a).
i.e. Index Kewessis, B. Jackson (1895).
Lamarck (1791–1823). See also M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 3 January 1882.
James Britten.
Rees (1819-20). See B. Jackson (1877) and B. Jackson (1880a); but see also Pestana (1979) for a critique of Jackson's analysis.
M had, however, written an essay on nomenclature of Vahea in B82.09.01, which was republished in the Journal of botany (B83.03.03) with an editorial introductory note: 'The following note was communicated by Baron von Mueller to the Melbourne ' Chemist and Druggist ' for September, 1882, and seems to us of sufficient interest to deserve wider circulation'. Britten had taken over from Trimen as editor of the Journal of botany in 1879.
Bentham in effect gave up botany at about this time; see G. Bentham to M, November 1883 (in this edition as 83-11-00). Bentham died on 10 September 1884.
Letter not found. The text given here is from Gleason (1947).
Please cite as “FVM-83-11-21,” 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