90 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



associated with the former. All collections were first examined 

 by him, then sent to London, revised, and finally dealt with by 

 Bentham, the result being the seven classical volumes forming 

 the "Flora Australiensis," published between 1863 and 1878. 

 We quote the following words from Dr. Bentham's introduction to 

 the "Flora" : — " When, indeed, it was first contemplated to bring 

 out a general flora of Australia under Government sanction, Dr. 

 Mueller was naturally looked to as the botanist best qualified for 

 undertaking the task of preparing it ; and in the hope that it 

 would be entrusted to him he had devoted his utmost energies 

 to collecting the necessary materials. But there was one indis- 

 pensable step, the examination of European herbaria, where the 

 published types were deposited, which he was unable to take ; 

 and it is a signal proof of the generosity of his disposition, and 

 the absence of all selfishness, that when it was proposed to him 

 that the preparation of the " Flora" should be confided to me, 

 on account of the facilities which my position here gave me for 

 the examination of the Australian collections I have mentioned 

 above, he not only gave up his long-cherished projects in my 

 favour, but promised to do all in his power to assist me — a 

 promise which he has fulfilled with the most perfect faith." 



Already the value of his work had been recognized, by his 

 election into the Royal Society in i86r, and ten years later he 

 was created a Baron of the Kingdom of Wurtemberg. Honours 

 of various kinds began to reward his efforts, but instead of 

 tempting him to rest upon his laurels, they only seemed to spur 

 him on to further work. 



In 1879 he commenced the publication of what is perhaps his 

 most important single contribution to our knowledge of the 

 Australian flora — the " Ten Decades of the Eucalyptographia," 

 a difficult genus, in which naturally he was deeply interested. Not 

 only did the purely scientific side of the work appeal to him, but 

 here as in other work the economic aspect found in him a zealous 

 investigator. It was mainly through his efforts that attention 

 was drawn to the supposed hygienic properties of the trees ; and 

 it was through his instrumentality that the Blue Gum — Eucalyptus 

 globulus — was introduced into the malarious districts of the old 

 world, whilst he was also much associated with Mr. Bosisto in 

 the investigation of the eucalyptus oils. 



From the economic aspect, perhaps his most important work 

 — indeed, it would seem to have been one of his most favourite 

 ones — was that on " Select Extra-Tropical Plants," intended as a 

 guide to plants suitable for industrial cultivation in the colony, 

 and of which between 187 1 and 1895 no fewer than eight editions 

 were issued. Of works of economic value may also be mentioned 

 a translation, with original notes, which he caused to be published 

 at his own expense, of Wittstein's " Organic Constituents of 



