Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. MS is a letterpress copy.

Smithsonian Institution

Washington Oct. 25 1869

Dear Sir:

We have for several years been desirous of finding some Institution or individual in Australia willing to receive the packages of Smithsonian Exchanges for your country and deliver them as addressed. We have at present a large accumulation of such parcels which we can send at any time, but until some definite arrangement can be made for their proper distribution we hesitate about the risk of their loss. We addressed Prof. McCoy some time since on this subject but have, as yet, received no reply from him, and, presuming that if he had been inclined to accede to the proposition he would have written to us before this time, we address ourselves to you, knowing your public spirit in such matters and well aware of the fact that men with so much work on their hands as you have are, generally, the most willing to undertake additional burdens.

We are prepared to deliver our packages to Melbourne free of expense and to refer any charges that may have accrued upon them when received there, all properly enveloped and secure and addressed to the parties for whom they are intended; and as among them there are quite a number for yourself as well as for the scientific and literary establishments in your adopted country it will give us much pleasure to receive your assent to our proffer to consider you as our agent in this connection. The expense of transportation in your country from Melbourne will, of course, be defrayed by the recipients.

Through your agency we shall also be pleased to receive any returns for the transmissions we are prepared to make in behalf of this Institution and of the other learned establishments of America, and to defray the cost of their transportation to Washington.

Among the parcels on hand for Australia are a considerable number from various learned institutions in Europe — Germany & Russia especially — all of which will be forwarded with our own whenever the opportunity is afforded us.

Dr Ferdinand Mueller

Director of the Botanic Gardens

Melbourne

A.

2

For M’s reply agreeing to help with the distributions Henry had in mind, see M to J. Henry, 31 January 1870.