Document information
Physical location:
National Archives, London CO 309/63, Despatches, January to 11 August 1863, f. 295, enclosure to despatch no. 33 of 23 May 1863. 63.05.23Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to Henry Barkly, 1863-05-23. 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/63-05-23>, accessed April 20, 2025
1
MS annotation: '7110 Victoria'.
23/5/63
Sir Henry
Availing myself of your Excellency's permission I beg to transmit herewith some of
the humble products of my literary efforts, which I venture to offer as a very small
contribution towards the Royal Library.
I should not have had the courage of laying these works before our future sovereign,
had I not been encouraged in doing so by the graceful manner in which the illustrious
parents of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales condescended to receive a small former volume,
and had not the ever lamented Prince Albert been pleased to honor previously transmitted
works of mine with so kind and favorable an opinion.
2
Works not identified.
3
Barkly noted in his despatch that the work for Prince Albert had been enclosed with
despatch 27 of 25 February 1860. In that despatch Barkly described the enclosure as
'a Work descriptive of newly discovered Australian Plants, which has been printed
at the public expense under his [M's] superintendence'. An annotation on the despatch
identifies the work enclosed as Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae; although no volume
or part number is given, it must have been vol. 1, the last part of which was published
in late 1859. Barkly in his despatch states that four volumes were enclosed: one copy
was retained in the Colonial Office and copies were sent by the Colonial Office to
William Hooker at Kew, the British Museum, and a copy 'ornamentally bound, which he
[M] hopes His Royal Highness Prince Albert will not disdain to place on his Bookshelves,
as a recent Contribution to Botanical Science from a Fellow Countryman resident in
this distant part of Her Majesty's Dominions'.
A letter of acknowledgment from Sir Charles Phipps, Treasurer and Private Scretary
to Prince Albert, was received in the Colonial Office and a copy sent to Barkly on
13 July 1860 as part of Colonial Office despatch no. 45 with a request 'that you will
cause a copy of this to be communicated to Dr Müeller’:
Buckingham Palace
21. June. 1860.
Sir.
I have had the honor to submit to His Royal Highness the Prince Consort your letter
of the 29th Ulto enclosing a despatch from the Governor of Victoria together with
a work by Dr Ferdinand Müller of that colony for His Royal Highness' acceptance, and
I am commanded to request that you will cause to be conveyed to Dr Müller the expression
of His Royal Highness' thanks to him for his book.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your obedt servant
C B Phipps
In humblest regards
your Excellency's
servant
Ferd. Mueller
His Excellency
Sir Henry Barkly K.C.B.
&c &c &C
Governor of Victoria