To Édouard Bornet   14 August 1895

14/8/95

 

By this weeks mail, dear Dr Bornet, I have the pleasure of sending you crisply dried Algs, just received from 3 bais on the south-coast of Australia. You may find on them minute epiphytes of special interest and some of the species are perhaps new to your collection. Will you kindly let our friend Prof Cornu, have some, of the spare specimens, such as you may deem acceptable at the great "Herbier" of Paris. Mr Bracebr. WIlson has not yet sent his algs of this season, his time being so much engaged at the High School of Geelong,1 of which for nearly 40 years he is the Director.

As regards Pachyglossum, sent by me, the Lady collecting your specimens with Nizymenia confused the two,2 and packing hurriedly up the last lot at candle-light, the error at the time escaped my observation, but I found it out since. Nizymenia, as you will be aware, was discovered by myself about the middle of the century, and described by Sonder from specimens of mine.3

I am so grateful to you for the powerful support which you gave to my election,4 and when you meet my other generous supporters, pray express to them how deeply I feel indebted to you all!

Every regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller.

 

Nizymenia

Pachyglossum

 
1
Geelong Grammar School, Vic.
2
The 'Lady' is almost certainly Jessie Hussey, after whom Agardh (1894-1903), Continuo II (1894), p. 65, named Pachyglossum husseyanum when he erected the genus (now a nom. illeg ., as Decaisne had previously used the name). See also J. Hussey to J. Aghard, 4 October 1895 (in this edition as M95-10-04): it appears that M sent some of her collection to Bornet and some to Agardh.
3
Sonder (1853a), pp 520-1, as part of Plantae Muellerinae, based on a specimen M collected at Wilson's Promontory in May 1853.
4
As a Corresponding Member of the Åcadémie des Sciences of the Institut de France.

Please cite as “FVM-95-08-14,” 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 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/95-08-14