Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne botanic & zoologic Garden

24. Aug 1861.

Venerable and dear Sir,

It has been to me a source of so profound gratification, that the Royal Society of Britain deemed myself worthy of enrolling my name amongst that of its members,

1

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

that I cannot refrain from expressing to you, ever estimated and dear Sir, my deep gratitude for having in the elevated position you occupy in the society given your powerful support to my election. I can not but be aware, that the honor bestowed on me was not gained by what I humbly may have endeavoured to perform in the scientific world, but that I enjoy the triumph of my elevation into the Society, in which you are now one of the main pillars and in which Newton once presided, — alone through the favor of patronizing powerful scientific men.

Whilst thus highly estimating the honor conferred on me, I trust you will pardon it, if I solicit once more your influence to give stability to my election, and I therefore pray that you will kindly exercise your power in the Council of the Royal Society

2

Owen was not an officer or member of the Royal Society Council in 1861.

to cause me to be exempted from the rule of appearing within a certain period personally before the Royal Society, for which purpose my fixed official position as the head of an extensive department may not for some time to come aford me an opportunity.

3

'Resolved, — That Mr Ferdinand Müller, now in Australia, be granted an extension of the time of his admission into the Society during his stay abroad.' See Minutes of the Council of the Royal Society, from December 16th, 1858 to December 16th, 1869 (1870), p. 101.

I have written simultaneously to Sir Roderick Murchison, who always evinced such friendly feelings towards myself, to secure also his good offices on this occasion.

4

Letter not found. See M to R. Murchison, 25 September 1861 for a reiteration of the request.

— The theory of the origin of the animated and vegetative creation, existing and past, having since the issue of Darwin's work

5

Darwin (1859).

again so much agitated the minds of the natural philosophers, perhaps you will permit me, honored and dear Sir, to offer, as I have ventured to do towards our great Murchison,

6

Letter not found.

a word on so deeply an important a question. May I then, humble as I am, endeavour to strengthen, perhaps unnecessarily, the opinion, so powerfully upheld on zoological and geological grounds by yourself, that nature created species by design, in recording (as I feel to do bound), that during scarcely less than 22 years of observations of the forms of vegetable life in free nature, I had during travels extending in Europe and Australia over nearly 30,000 miles, never cause to entertain any doubt, that we are surrounded by species clearly defined in nature, all perfect in their organisation, all destined to fulfil by unalterable laws those designs for which the power of our creating god called them into existence. And I feel all the more bound to bear testimony to this great and sublime truth, since vegetative forms are much less restricted in variation than those of animal life. Hence it arose that the species of the vegetable world are so immensely overrated in number, hence the cause, that in a vast number of diagnostic definitions of plants we see what is alterable misappreciated as permanently characteristic, whereas but too many of the permanent tests of species, especially those emanating from carpology remain not sufficiently revealed. I have therefore no hesitation in affirming that nature in her eternal laws created always well-defined unalterable species; but those of the empire of plants are hitherto vastly overestimated in number and are greatly more variable, than phytographers have been inclined to admit!

But I write these words not without feelings of regret, when thinking of Darwin, a man, for whose labours I always entertained a high veneration, who honored me with his friendship and who above all was amongst those whose writings as a traveller inspired me in my boyhood with delight and arose in my breast a desire for imitating his example, and whose works together with those of other great natural philosophers, awoke in my youthful mind a craving ever profound to share in revealing the wonderful works of nature to human insight, a desire which gave to my life its plan and its direction.—

Ever ready to serve so great a man as yourself I remain full of veneration attachment & obedience