From John Booth to Joseph Hooker   15 March 1872

Flottbeck1 15th March 1872

Dear Sir,

…2

In the meantime the 'Baron' honoured me with a very nice letter3 (half german & half English) delighted that I am in the possession of the Todea which I shall have photographed before long so that you may see what a capital thing it is, with the 100 and more fronds. Is it not wonderful that as soon as the sun shines upon this mass it gives a most disagreeable smell, like a corpse. To what is this owing? The Baron sends me the first page of his work 'Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae' contulit liber Baro Ferd. de &c, then following about 30 lines with all the stars and memberships of this and the other world.4 But he is anxious to enter into business with me and will do anything.

From official quarters I have now got a list of things they want for which he gets very likely 'Aquila rubra'5 which he has not.

…6

My dear Dr Hooker

very sincerely your

John Booth

 

Todea

1
Near Hamburg.
2
The early part of the letter discusses plants that Hooker may want and ones Booth would like to receive.
3
Letter not found.
4
Volume 7, 1869 -71, has 30 lines listing M's memberships and honours on the title page.
5
The Prussian Orden des Roten Adler (Order of the Red Eagle). Membership of the order, as a Knight, 3rd class, was conferred on 8 March 1876; see Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, to M, 8 March 1876.
6
The remainder of the letter discusses the severe winter and its effects.

Please cite as “FVM-M72-03-15,” 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/M72-03-15