To Paul Maistre   29 June 1888

Melbourne,

29. June 1888.

To Mons. P. L. Maistre,

Vice-Consul for France &c

 

In continuation of former communications, dear Mons. Maistre, I beg to send herewith fresh seeds, just obtained, of one of the best Australian Saltbushes, Kochia villosa, which is quite celebrated as "Cotton-bush" on the "Sheep runs" of the arid interior. It is only a small quantity, but the seeds are scantily produced, and as the bushes are fed down so much by the flocks, it is difficult to obtain any seeds at all.

Kindly excuse me to the Consul General1 for not having been able yet to wait on him; but I come rarely to the City, the pressure of my departmental work in the office at South Yarra being so great. But as the Centennial Exhibition will soon be opened,2 I shall often have the pleasure of coming to the French division, where I am sure to meet the Chief Commissioner and you frequently.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller

 

Kochia villosa

 
Presumably M meant Léon Dejardin who was the newly arrived consul. In 1888 Melbourne was a vice consulate under the control of the consul general in Sydney. See C. Thornton-Smith (1994).
Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888-9.

Please cite as “FVM-88-06-29,” 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 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/88-06-29