From John Thurston to Ferdinand von Mueller   18 July 1884

Suva Fiji

July 18th 1884

My dear Sir,

While sitting in my office this afternoon immersed in papers I saw the steam ship "Hero" leave the harbour on her voyage to Melbourne, and at the same time a mail from the country was brought into me containing among other things specimens of "Coapim" (or what ever it may be) from Mr Holmes, to whose immediate courtesy it has been possible for me to gratify your wish.

I recognise the grass as the same sent to me earlier by you or Sir Joseph Hooker some years ago and which, as mentioned in a former note,¹ I distributed but heard no more of excepting from Mr Henerys of Mokogai islands² who once informed me that it was a most valuable grass. The seeds came to me labelled "Panicum spectabile".

Mr Holmes writes — "I forward herewith a small parcel containing dried specimens of the grass 'Panicum spectabile — some flowers, foliage, and two complete specimens from flower to root — The latter though about five feet long are as short as I could find, being the terminal shoots from the last rooting node to the flower. It is of course impossible to send you a specimen extending from the original rootstock which in this instance lay over thirty feet distant — I find the grass an admirable one, well suited to Fiji. It grows wonderfully fast overpowering all weeds and even small shrubs in its course Makes excellent fodder in pasture, and is very easy to propagate either by seed, or better still, by joints of the stem, the latter being very tenacious of life bearing transport well".

Thus much Mr Holmes and I trust his account may interest you.

I should be glad to learn the result of your examination and whether this Brazilian 'Coapim' is, or is not, identical with the West African 'Coapim' which I understand is the true 'Panicum Spectabile' — If the accompanying specimens do not suffice Mr Holmes very kindly offers to send others.

I forget whether I thanked you for the seeds of Areca alba. If not pray let me do so now — Specimens of Areca alba and A. rubra are in my Palm garden and are now about five feet high — Altogether I have about 28 varieties of exotic palms & most of the indigenous. Some years hence visitors will be able to study in these grounds all our Palms. At least I hope so. One or two from the more elevated regions may defy my efforts.

I have not seen a copy of your "Select plants" for many years & should be grateful for a spare copy if you have one. The last one I saw contained a mass of most valuable information³

Walking in the bush the other day I found growing among dense vegetation an enormous creeper and examining it found it to be, as I fancied at first a 'Clerodendron' — but soon I recognised it as one of your discoveries, a 'Faradaya'⁴ and really a very beautiful one — As Seemann describes his, both in the letter press and illustration of his Flora Vitiensis, I take it that the one he saw here was a shrub or small tree⁵ (I have not met with it) The one I found was a creeping plant — It was nearly out of flower & the weather was wet so my specimens were execrable — Such as they are I enclose them and will send you seed separately.

I have seen little, indeed nothing, of Dr Lucas.⁶ Unfortunately he called the very day I drove my wife and family away from Government House to my private place in the hills three miles away & I could only see him for a few minutes at my temporary office in town

Believe me my dear Sir

Faithfully yours

John S Thurston

PS My 'Ravanela Madagascarens'⁷ raised from seed you sent me are becoming something worth looking at & I rose some beautiful trees 'Myroxylon toluiferum' from seed you sent me years ago

PPS Sent separate [with] grass

Areca alba

Areca rubra

Clerodendron

Faradaya

Myroxylon toluiferum

Panicum Spectabile

Ravanela Madagascarens