Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS black-edged; M's sister Bertha died on 7 September 1861.

For copies of this letter see Bundle 10, no. 12, unit 11, VPRS 1095, Public Record Office, Victoria; Natural History Museum, London, Mineralogy Keepers' Archives, Meteorite letters A-G (Cranbourne Meteorite); and Natural History Museum, London, Museum Archives, DF3/1/folder 42, Cranbourne, Australia 1861-1936. For context, see Lucas et al. (1994).

14/2/62

My dear Professor

I received this day the enclosed letter from Mr James Bruce,

2

Letter not found.

which it would have been unnecessary to send, had not a part of it been adressed to you directly.

You will perceive that Mr Bruce left it originally to my option to receive the whole meteor for the British Museum; but, as you are aware, I was not inclined to act in direct opposition to your wishes & agreed reluctantly to the division of the specimen, repeating yesterday to Mr Selwyn my willingness to do so. Nevertheless I cannot withhold my persuasion, that we are doing a most deplorable act in cutting such a rare cabinet piece, especially as it then no longer will anywhere predominate over any other meteor, and nothing but profound respect and hearty friendship to you could induce me to wave the claims on the specimens in its entirety which I might after Mr Bruce's unconditional gift have established. I respect your desire of doing the utmost for the institution, over which you so zealously preside, but I cannot but feel that the scientific men at home and especially the worthy administrators of the British Museum will censure my action. If I was in your position, I must confess, I would take a cosmopolitan view of the matter and would wave my local interests (strongly as I entertain it towards my own establishment) in an exceptional instance like this, reflecting how much more would be served to science, if such a treasure was rendered accessible to men of science of all parts of the world in the noblest institution, which ever will exist for the preservation of the products of nature.

I would consider, that here in isolation this specimen will be only available for the admiration of comparatively few. And whilst the highest praise would be awarded to you by the bearers of science in general for your disinterestedness and generosity you would remain conscious, that your own sacrifice was fulfilling the wishes of his Excellency the Governor and the real wish of the donor.