From William Hooker to John Foster   2 November 1854

Royal Gardens

Kew.

Novr 2 1854

Sir

I hope that my position in this country, as the head of our principal Botanical Establishment, may be held as an apology for my taking the liberty of addressing you on the subject of the vegetable productions of Victoria. That Colony has the merit of having gone beyond all our other Colonies, inasmuch as it has not only provided a Botanic Garden for the wants of the Country, but it has appointed a Botanist¹ to investigate the plants of the Territory. That Botanist has brought himself to our special notice by his talents & assiduity & by the scientific importance of his researches. And he has had the industry to draw up excellent Latin descriptions (with observations) of all his numerous discoveries: he has further prepared a List or catalogue of all the previously described plants. In short, he has the materials before him of an excellent & useful "Flora of the Colony of Victoria." A copy of this, he has done me the favor to send me; & all those to whom I have shown it cordially agree with me that it deserves publication & would, if published reflect very great credit, both on the Author, Dr Mueller, & on the Colony which has placed him in a position to prepare it. Indeed, unless such a use is made of the Mst, Dr Mueller's services are almost, if not wholly, lost to the public.

May I therefore ask that this matter be taken into consideration by His Excellency the Governor & Council?

It is quite clear that such a work, even in the plainest form, could not be printed & published, without pecuniary assistance. It is not like a popular book, of which the sale might cover the cost: but I should hope the colony would see fit to remove that difficulty by a suitable grant. The subject has had much of my attention, & I am pretty familiar with the nature & expence of such publications; & I am prepared to say that a grant of £300 would supply the needful outlay in enabling a Publisher to undertake the work. A large portion of this sum would be required for Editorial expences, the labor of adding the descriptions of the known species, & a careful comparison of Dr. Mueller's specimens & descriptions with the authentic specimens of the several authors in the Herbaria of Europe, without which the work would still be imperfect

The only one of our Colonies which as yet possesses a Flora is New Zealand, just finished by my son Dr Hooker,² & he is now preparing one of Van Diemen's Land.³ But both of these are infinitely more costly to our Government, which bears the expence (the materials having been chiefly collected by Dr Hooker, during an Admiralty Discovery Voyage), — because they are accompanied with numerous plates, & are of a Quarto size.

Should this present application be deemed worthy of consideration by the Colonial Government, I should be happy to be informed of the result.

I have the honor to be, Sir

your obedt & faithful Servt.

W. J. Hooker

Director⁴