The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 25 March 1865. ¶ Noble friend, ¶ ¶ How am I to thank you for remembering me so kindly at the Court of the noble Duke? ¶ The little I have done for your institute and the Museum did not require any t...

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Physical location:

Sammlung Perthes Archiv, SPA ARCH PGM 328, Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Universität Erfurt. 65.03.25b

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to August Petermann, 1865-03-25 [65.03.25b]. 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/65-03-25b>, accessed April 20, 2025

MS annotation by Petermann: 'Erh. 22. Mai 1865' [Received 22 May 1865]. For a published version of this letter, see Voigt (1996), pp. 63-4.

25/3/65.

Edler Freund.

Wie soll ichs Ihnen danken, dass Sie meiner so freundlich am Hofe des edlen Herzogs gedacht? Das Wenige, was ich für Ihre Anstalt u das Museum gethan bedurfte keines Dankes, u. nun fühle ich mich so tief gegen Sie u Ihr Land verschuldet, dass ich eifrig sein muss meinen Dank zu zeigen. In meinem eben geschlossenen Dankschreiben an den Minister v. Seebach glaube ich Ihnen als dem grössten Geographen unserer Zeit Gerechtigkeit gewährt zu haben. —

Das Ordensdiplom war von einem Begleitschreiben des Ministers gefolgt, nach welchem die Decoration gleichzeitig an mich abgesandt wurde. Ihnen im Vertrauen darf ich nicht verhehlen, dass der Orden aber mit der Post nicht anlangte. Um das Verlorengehen zu verhüten, zumal da ich anheischig bin durch meine Erben das Ehrenzeichen einst zurück zu erstatten, schreibe ich heute an den Postmeister in Ostende (der Brief war via Ostende u England signirt) u an den Secretary of the General Postoffice London, um dort nachfragen zu lassen, ob das Vermisste aus irgendeinem Grunde zurückblieb u lasse Dr Sonder die Mittheilung machen, dass er die notwendigen Schritte zur Einlösung thue. Vielleicht sind Sie freundlich an dem Gotha Postbureau privat anzufragen u Dr Sonder zu lenken in Bezug der Sache. Sonst habe ich selbigen gebeten, das Ehrenkreuz für mich, falls es erlangbar ist zu erstehen in Dresden.

Hoffentlich kann ich Sie für längere Zeit mit interessanten Nachrichten über die Aufsuchung Leichhardts durch die Damen-Expedition versehen.

Ich erlaube mir einen Brief der Damen beizufügen, dessen Veröffentlichung dazu beitragen möchte in einigen Theilen unseres Vaterlandes durch Damen weitere Beiträge für das schöne Unternehmen sammeln zu lassen. Mit nächster Post mehr darüber. Noch eilig bemerke ich, dass ich mit dieser Post einen Band Illustration der Pflanzen Victorias u den 4 Band der Fragmenta zusammen mit andern Büchern an das Museum in Paris sandte u Brogniart u. Decaisne bat, Ihr Exemplar Ihnen baldigst zuzusenden.

Für mehrere interessante Blätter von Ihnen schulde ich Dank.

Stets in Freundschaft u

Dankbarkeit Ihr

Ferd. Mueller.

Vielleicht wird uns die Damen Expedition die ganze Westhälfte Australiens aufschliessen.

25 March 1865.

Noble friend,

How am I to thank you for remembering me so kindly at the Court of the noble Duke?

Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

The little I have done for your institute and the Museum did not require any thanks, and now I feel so deeply indebted to you and your country, that I must be zealous to show my gratitude. In my just concluded letter of thanks to Minister von Seebach

M to R. von Seebach, 25 March 1865 (in this edition as 65-03-25e).

I believe I have done you justice as the greatest geographer of our time.

The certificate of the Order was followed by a cover letter from the Minister,

Following a recommendation from Dr A. Hellmann, Director of the Gotha Museum ('Naturalienkabinett'), to Minister von Seebach, the Knight's Cross II. Class of the Ernestine House Order was bestowed on M on 5 January 1865, in recognition of his merits in enriching the scientific institutes of the Duchy. See R. von Seebach to M, 5 January 1865, and notes thereto.

according to which the decoration was dispatched to me at the same time. To you in confidence, I must not conceal however, that the Order did not arrive with the mail. To avoid loss, especially as I am obliged to return the Order one day through my heirs, I am writing today

Letters not found.

to the postmaster of Ostende (the letter was stamped via Ostende and England) and to the Secretary of the Postmaster General in London to make enquiries there as to whether the lost article remained behind there for some reason or other, and have passed on the message to Dr Sonder to undertake the necessary steps to redeem it.

Sonder made every effort to clear up the non-arrival of the Order (Sonder to von Seebach, 14 June 1865; Bl. 196, Nr 5, Loc. 11, Hzgl. Staatsmin. Dep., Thüringisches Staatsarchiv, Gotha). The Ministry of State ordered the Post Office in Gotha to send out circulars, and subsequently sent a second Order to M via Sonder (von Seebach to Sonder, 19 June 1865).

Perhaps you will be so kind as to make private enquiries at the post office in Gotha and to guide Dr Sonder concerning this matter. Failing this, I have asked him to purchase the Order in Dresden for me, if it is available for sale.

I hope to be able to provide you for a long time with interesting news on the search for Leichhardt by the Ladies' expedition.

I take the liberty to enclose a letter from the ladies; its publication might assist in getting further contributions for this fine venture collected in some parts of our fatherland by ladies.

See M. Bunny et al. to J. McCulloch, 8 March 1865 (in this edition as M65-03-08); Petermann annotated the copy M had enclosed with his letter, 'Erh. 22. Mai 1865' [Received 22 May 1865]. Petermann sent both M's letter and the ladies' circular, together with printed copies in English and in German translation of M's speech at the public meeting on 9 February 1865 (B65.13.05 or B65.13.06, B65.13.07), to Duchess Alexandrine of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha for her perusal, soliciting her to approach the visiting Queen Victoria of England for financial aid in support of the Ladies' Leichhardt Search Expedition. See A. Petermann to the Duchess Alexandrine, 29 August 1865 (in this edition as M65-08-29).

More about this with the next mail. I still add in haste, that with this mail I sent a volume with illustrations of the plants of Victoria

B65.02.06.

and the 4th volume of the Fragmenta together with other books to the Paris Museum and asked Brogniart

i.e. Brongniart.

and Decaisne to forward your copies to you as soon as possible.

I owe you my thanks for several interesting copies of your journal.

Mittheilungen aus Justus Perthes' geographisacher Anstalt.

Always in friendship and gratitude

your

Ferd. Mueller.

The Ladies' Expedition might perhaps open up to us the whole western half of Australia.