Colonial Botanists Office.
Department of Agriculture,
Brisbane, October 17th 1889
Baron Ferd von Mueller K C M G &c
Government Botanist Melbourne
Victoria
Dear Baron
I have just received a letter from that excellent mycologist Dr M. C. Cooke of London, — In which he refers to publishing a monograph of our Australian Fungi but as he tells me that he has also addressed to you1 a similar letter I need not quote its contents. It would be of very great advantage to each of the colonies for a work of this kind to be published and no one is so well qualified for the work as Dr Cooke. You will I hope see what can be done for it by Victoria you being the head of the botanical world in Australasia and if you would then form some plan I could see what help could be rendered by Queensland I should recommend that each of the Colonies agreed to take a certain number of copies at a given price say 30/- each — I would like you however to make the first move in the matter. — To the Horticulturist & Agriculturalist such a work is of the highest importance So let us hope it will be carried out —
Yours very truly
Fredk Manson Bailey2
See M. Cooke to M, 1 September 1889.
MS is filed with a bundle of letters to M about the publication of M. C. Cooke's Handbook of Australian fungi (1892). The letters are inside a folded sheet annotated by M: 'Drawings of Fungs by G. Massee 1889.' No drawings found. See also G. Massee to M, 7 May 1888 (in this edition as 88-05-07b), G. Massee to M, 22 April 1889 and G. Massee to M, 12 August 1889.
MS annotation by M: 'Recd & answ 21/10/89'. Letter not found. Bailey in his register of letters and packets despatched (Herbarium Department, Queensland Herbarium, Brisbane) recorded this letter as having been sent on 16 October.
Please cite as “FVM-89-10-17a,” 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