To Édouard Bornet   8 September 1896

8/9/96.

With the greatest of gratitude, dear Dr Bornet, I have received the large parcel of Algs, which you so beautifully prepared from Dr Engelhardts and other collections I will send a set to the finders as named by your high authority, and this will induce them tocontinue their researches But I am afraid that your valuable time is taken up too much for naming crude material, requiring resoaking and spreading out, and I fear also, that you find seldom species additional for your own great collection. But some interest is attached to localities as means to trace geographic range. Thus I know now Claudea elegans from 4 Australian colonies and six places.

I can send you still many more crudely dried Algs, if you can devote time to them on the chance of finding rarities, but as a Septuagenarian I have no leisure left to prepare specimens here. Perhaps our excellent friend Miss Vickers of Roskof and her Russian Lady-friend¹ would aid you in the preparing of the specimens.

Prof Agardh wrote me recently that as an Octogenarian he cannot any longer devote time to naming specimens of unprepared crisp Algs.² So I can send to you many from new localities in future, by which means your collections might be enriched also.³

Very regardfully

your Ferd von Mueller

Entre nous ⁴

Prof Maxime Cornu has not written to me for a long time. He is necessarily always very busy with his students and the jardin des plantes. Still the idea has arisen with me, that he may feel hurt at something unknown to me. I have sent him numerous small parcels of plants during 1895 & 1896 by post for the "Herbier", and in each instance some very rare species were among them. If he only sent occasionally a post-card, I would know whether he is pleased with such sendings. Numerous of the species must have been quite new to the "Herbier".⁵

Claudea elegans