Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne botan. Garden,

25/9/63.

Dear Prof Maskelyne.

Last mail brought your letter, dated 16 July,

1

Letter not found.

to which I hoped to forward a satisfactory reply by this mail. From the paragraphs of papers and other communications and especially from Mr Selwyn, you will have learnt, that some members of our community are desirous to retain the Brucean Meteorite in the Colony, and that the Government appointed a Board for the consideration of the subject. When I learnt, that the Board had brought up a report without having taken my evidence, I applied to its chairman, the hon. Dr Evans, for a hearing, who at once withdrew the report, with a view of affording me before its adoption an opportunity to attend at the Board. Various circumstances and recently a severe illness of the honorable Gentleman prevented the Board to meet, and thus it became impossible to inform you by this mail of the final view of the Board and the Governments opinion thereon. Prof M'Coy evidently regrets having made the offer of the exchange, and it is painful for me to add, that by my remonstrations a friendship has become clouded, which has existed between us for many a year.

2

See F. McCoy to M, 17 February 1862 for the 'offer' and M to F. McCoy, 11 September 1863.

On what grounds the claims of the British Museum can be ignored is enigmatical to me; but should the ministry express a disapproval of the arrangements entered into, I shall, as an Officer of the state be obliged to resign my trust again to Mr Bruce and request that Gentleman to select for watching his interests here a man of perfect independence. Meanwhile I shall not forsake the interests of the British Museum and I cherish a hope, that by next mail I shall be enabled to afford you more decisive and I trust satisfactory information. For my own part I am conscious that I could not have acted otherwise than I have done, and should I really be compelled to relinquish my agency, I shall not fail to lay before Prof. Owen & yourself a status of my proceedings and to afford to whomsoever Mr Bruce may appoint to act for him as well as to your future representative every information on our transactions.