Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS envelope front: 'Ferdnd Müller, Ph.Doc. | Care of Messrs Büttner & Heuzenroeder | Chemists | Rundle Street | Adelaide | South Australia '. 'pr Tamar'. Front post-marked Launceston, 27 February 1849, and GPO South Australia, 3 April 1849.

For a published precis of this letter see Daley (1935), pp. 132-3.

Woodhall near Perth Van Diemens Land

Jany 8th 1849.

Sir,

I have delayed writing untill I should have collected some specimins for you which I am sorry to say are not exactly what I could wish, as the season has been so very bad here which together with other circumstances has prevented my making any long journey I have however collected all I could get in my neighborhood, & I hope that my next lot will make up for this, the snow is yet on the mountains & the rivers not yet fordable, but I shall start as soon as possible & get many things as this is just the time for mountainous plants, and I am most anxious to show you the plants of VDL. as it is, you will most likely find some of these interesting & very likely overlooked hitherto — of those to which I have prefixed names I beg to say that you must not take them for granted as I have received them from Gunn & others, and cannot vouch for their being correct, still they may in some instances save you trouble, by coming near the truth & be corrected by reference. you will percieve I have numbered them without reference to my former sending, as I had mislaid the list & have only just found it — the loss of the last lot I forwarded pr. Henry

2

Henry was totally wrecked on 6 September 1848 near Launceston Heads on its way to Adelaide (Sexton (1990), p. 141).

was a great annoyance to me as there were so many Cryptogamious plants amongst them & which I could not recover untill next season I could have recovered the case but it had been so long under the salt water that it was useless. I trust that we shall have better success with this which goes by the schooner "Tamar"

I have received two letters from Giles,

3

For more on the background to issues with Giles, who has not been identified, see C. Stuart to M, 22 May 1848 and C. Stuart to M, 24 July 1848.

in the first of which he says that he received the box of plants which I sent him but the reason he did not write was that the things were all dead and that he did not think worth while in the same letter he says that you offered him 3£ on condition he would send my box to Adelaide which he would not take as he said that I had deprived him of some list of plants which I made out for him, now I assure you that I do not know anything of any list of plants if there is such a thing it must be in my box by mistake as it would be no interest to me to deprive him of it

in his second letter he does not say a word about my things but says that some of the things I sent him were very good, & wishes me to send him many more which I must decline I am only sorry I ever knew him as it is I should be greatly obliged to you if, when you saw him you would say that if he likes to take what money of mine is in your hands which is I think 4£ 14/ (3£ sent & 1£ 14/ from Mr Stevens)

4

The context is consistent with 'Stephens' in other letters between Stuart and M; the person has not been identified. For some background to the financial issues see C. Stuart to M, 22 May 1848 and C. Stuart to M, 24 July 1848.

and deliver my box [...]

5

illegible.

he can do so & if not let him sell the box as it is not my intention to pay him any more as I do not owe him more than 4£ 14/. according to our last settlement which he acknowledes in his letter & his only reason for not sending the box is the excuse about the list which is a rogues trick

I am afraid the seeds, specimens, Books &c are by this time of little worth, which are in the box but there are letters &c there I should not like to lose I am really sorry my dear sir to give you so much trouble but knowing how I am situated I think you will excuse it

Giles said in his letter that If I sent for my box I had better give an order for it to any one I might send to for it — this therefore will be quite sufficient for that purpose, I do not wish to wrong him in any thing but I will not be plundered by him.

I hope you have been successful in your [...]

6

illegible.

Botanical researches this Summer. I will send you seeds by & bye of all I can collect, I shall number them according to this sending of which I have retained duplicates please send me answer on receipt of this as I shall be anxious to hear from you — in mean time believe me to be Sir

Direct as usual.

Could you give me the address of Mr Joyce, who you may remember receiving some specimens from, he gave it me when I left Adelaide but it is lost,

you will see many plants here are identical with those at S. Aus. chiefly herbaceous — C.S.

You would oblige me much if you could procure me a few seeds of the Donia formosa, 5 or 6 could come in a letter, Should Giles not take the 4£ 14/. perhaps you would be kind enough to send it to me (minus the expense of sending it through the Bank of Australasia) which I think is 3 or 4/. for which they will give a cheque on the Bank of Australasia here — CS