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RBG Kew, Directors' letters, vol. LXXV, Australian and Pacific letters 1859-65, letter no. 160. 62.12.20Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to William Hooker, 1862-12-20. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/62-12-20>, accessed April 20, 2025
1
MS annotation by W. Hooker: 'With a copy of the journal of Landsborough's Expedn'.
20/12/62
My dear Sir William.
Your very kind letter of the 27. Octob.
announces to my intense gratification, that our vegetable products of the expedition
will not be scattered but will find a permanent and most desired place at your noble
institutions at Kew. This fact fulfilles not only my own wish, but is an encouragement
also to complete in course of events this collection, which indeed may be vastly increased
yet in variety of objects.
2
Letter not found.
3
exhibition?
To accomplish this my occasional journeys as well as the cooperation of friends will
afford opportunities. It is highly pleasing to hear, that the Imperial Government
has provided under your increasing call such excellent accomodation to the Colonial
vegetable products at Kew.
4
The colonial timbers, cabinet and furniture woods from the International Exhibition,
1862, were housed in the Orangery at Kew Gardens after the living collections previously
housed there were transferred to the new Temperate House in 1863. In about 1960 the
timber was removed from the Orangery; what remained after a thorough weeding of the
exhibits was displayed or stored in one or other of the museums at Kew (Desmond, 1995,
passim).
But what has given me the deepest emotions of pleasure in your last letter, is the
delightful announcement of the almost complete restoration of your health.
May providence grant you its uninterrupted continuance for very many years! The great
explorer J. Macd. Stuart has returned to Adelaide after accomplishing the task of
establishing a watered traversable route from Spencers Gulf to the coast of Arnhems
Land.
There is no doubt, that his botanical collections will be placed in my hands, since
I have been entrusted with the examination of whatever he brought back from any of
his previous exploits.
5
Stuart's expedition, from December 1861 to November 1862, was South Australia's attempt
to be first to cross Australia from South to North, in competition with Victoria's
tragic Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition, 1860-1. Stuart reached the North coast
five months after Burke and Wills reached the Gulf of Carpentaria, but then in contrast
to Burke brought his party home safely. See Threadgill (1922), pp. 57-63.
6
See B60.06.01, B63.05.01, B64.13.05.
Having now seen so much of the vegetation of the interior of this continent, any new
collections prove to me exceedingly interesting — I proceed within a few days to some
untrotten parts of the Austral Alps & will secure seeds & specimens there for Kew.
Ever with the most sincere attachment & gratitude, very dear Sir William,
yours
Ferd. Mueller