Ferdinand von Mueller

1

For published extracts of this letter see Daley (1927-8) p. 96.

Kew July 14/61

Dear Dr Mueller

I send herewith the receipts for your entrance & composition to the R. Socy

2

Royal Society, London. M was elected a Fellow on 6 June 1861.

in haste. Please address a letter to the Secretary, for the Council, asking that the ceremony of presenting yourself for admission may be postponed " sine die ".

3

Persons elected Fellows of the Royal Society of London were normally required to present themselves for admission on or before the fourth ordinary meeting of the Society following their election. An admission fee of £10 was required to be paid together with an annual fee of £4 which could be compounded, as M had evidently chosen to do, by a single payment of £60.

My Father has been very poorly this spring, but is now much better & about to go into the country for change of air. Dr Harvey has also been dangerously ill with haemorrhage from the throat but is convalescent. he has written to you

4

Letter not found, but see W. Harvey to J. Hooker, May 1861 (in this edition as M61-05-00).

about the Australian Flora, & I do hope that you will see the expediency of the course he proposes — it is no fault of yours that you are not in a position to publish such a Flora. — nor that you have not had the experience in general Botany & especially in descriptive Botany that are so essential to drawing up short accurate diagnostic descriptions. Your election to R.S. will I am sure convince you that every one here is duly anxious for your fair fame, & appreciates to the full your admirable labors. Go on publishing your materials by all means, & above all things do give us an Index to all your species with references — we often waste hours over your works for want of a key to the whole.