To Henry Ridley   30 June 1888

30/6/88.

 

When I sent to you, dear Mr Ridley, the two orchids,1 I had not examined them analytically, and thus - as you are well aware -, a plant of this kind at mere external sight might easily be placed into a wrong genus. You will be aware, how severely we are all extra taxed for the Centennial Exhibition, all the more so as this great event becomes at a rather sudden decision celebrated in Melbourne and not in Sydney.2 Until the heavy Commissioners and Jurors work will have come to an end in February, I shall not be able to work to any extent on plants descriptively, because as the head of a professional Department I am required to give every possible aid and help to the Exhibition.

Thus now also I send a few Orchids, recently obtained in poor Mr Hartmann’s collection. He fell victim to the clime of New Guinea; so this gathering is his Swan-song, and I should like therefore, that his name be identified with the Oberonia, should on careful examination it prove new.3 The trifling lot sent is all he gathered of Orchideae, nothing being kept here.

I will send his ferns by post half to Mr Carruthers, half to Kew. A fragment of each might be returned to me. As Mr Baker knows, that Mr Carruthers works on Mr Forbes’s ferns, doubtless the naming of those from Mr Hartmann will be left with your Chief.

What a glorious festival that of the Linnéans!4

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Oberonia

Orchideae

1
See M to H. Ridley, 29 March 1888.
2
Melbourne International Exhibition, 1888-9.
3
No eponymous orchid celebrating Hartmann other than Sarcochilus hartmannii named by M in B74.10.01, p. 248 has been found in IPNI.
4
The centenary of the founding of the Linnean Society of London; see Gardeners’ chronicle,12 May 1888, p. 594. A full account is given in Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London ,1887-88, not published until May 1890 (Gage & Stearn [1988], p. 218).

Please cite as “FVM-88-06-30,” 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 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/88-06-30