17/2/86.
As I have written dear Sir Joseph, while congratulating Mr Dyer,1 also concerning your excellent son, I shall only offer a short letter this time, expressing my particular hope, that the evening of your life will be a long and serene one, and that you will attain at last your father’s and Mr Bentham’s age, thus living into the next century!2
You will do grand work now for special phytography. The new genus of Laurinae with one celled anthers must be very interesting.3
The Expedition of Capt. Everill4 has not yielded much novelty among plants. As it was mainly a geographic expedition, and no high Mountains presented themselves at the Fly River System, mostly ordinary Malaian5 forms, well known, were got, d’Albertis6 having also to some extent been over the ground before.
Mr Forbes treats the Austral. geogr. Soc., after its generosity to him unfairly, unless he mends. So also the hope, so long cherished by me, to render known the highland-flora of New Guinea may become blighted, after my writings drew mainly attention to it.7
I hope my geographic adress will please you; it evolves some new ideas.8
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller.
Laurinae
Please cite as “FVM-86-02-17a,” 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 18 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/86-02-17a