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Eduard Fenzl Nachlass, Archiv der Universität Wien, Vienna. 73.04.23a

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Ferdinand von Mueller to Eduard Fenzl, 1873-04-23 [73.04.23a]. 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/73-04-23a>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melbourne im bot Garten
23/4/73.
Es gereicht mir zur Freude, edler Herr, bei Ihnen meinen Freund Herrn Kaufmann Klemm einzuführen, der auf einer Geschäftsreise durch Europa auch in Ihrer Residenzstadt weilen wird. Irgend eine Aufmerksamkeit, diesem Herrn erwiesen, werde ich als eine mir erwiesene Gunst hinnehmen. Herr Klemm wird Ihnen die letzten Hefte meiner Fragmenta bringen, ein Werk das durch die Ungunst der Departementsverhältnisse hier für ein ganzes Jahr zum Stillstand kam, aber nun wahrscheinlich fortgesetzt werden kann, wenn auch ohne Illustrationen.
Es freut mich, dass die Dicksonia-Stämme Sie sicher erreichten. Die ganze Sendung ist auf Privatkosten von mir gemacht, u. so auch die Fracht von mir selbst getragen, da die Mittel meiner Anstalt jetzt viel zu sehr beschränkt sind, um officielle Austausche im grössern Masstabe durchzuführen.
Sollte es mir möglich sein, Ihnen ebenfalls hohe lebende Cycas Stämme zu zu wenden u colossale Todea Exemplare, dann werden Sie ebenfalls für solche nicht meinem Departement verpflichtet sein, sondern solche als eine Privatgabe frei von mir erhalten.
Sehr gerne möchte ich aber, dass unser Austausch von Briefen, Schriften u Sämereien fortbestünde, zumal da unser gütiger Freund Dr Sonder in Hamburg immer so bereitwillig für die Vermittlung der Sendung die Hand bietet.
Mit besonderer Hochachtung der Ihre
Ferd. von Mueller
Es war meine Absicht Ihnen auch für die Wiener Ausstellung die neuen phytochemischen Producte zuzusenden, welche ich für die Londer
1
Londoner?
Ausstellung lieferte. Die Departements Mittel liessen es aber nicht zu. Besonders gern hätte ich Ihnen die zehn neuen Öle geschickt, in welche ich das Eucalyptustheeröl zerlegte. Dr Hooker könnte Ihnen aber vielleicht Proben aus London liefern.
Ich bedauere das Erkranken Sr Excellenz des Marschalls Jochmus, welcher sich sehr für meine Proposition interessirte, Eucalypten auf Ihren adriatischen Inseln zu ziehen. Samen werden Ihnen zugegangen sein.
Melbourne Botanic Garden,
23 April 1873.
It is my pleasure, noble Sir, to introduce to you my friend, the merchant Mr Klemm who, in the course of a business trip through Europe, will also spend some time in your home town. I should regard any consideration shown to this gentleman as a personal favour. Mr Klemm will bring you the most recent issues of my Fragmenta, a work that came to a halt for a whole year due to the unfavourable departmental conditions here but probably can be continued now, even though without illustrations.
I'm pleased that the Dicksonia trunks reached you safely.
2
See M to E. Fenzl, 5 November 1871 (in this edition as 71-11-05a).
The whole transmission was at my private expense and I also paid for the freight myself, as the means of my institute are now far too limited to carry out official exchanges on a larger scale.
If I can make it possible to send you also trunks of tall living Cycas and specimens of the colossal Todea, you will not be under any obligation for them to my department either, but will receive them free as a private gift from me.
But I should really like to see our exchanges of letters, publications and seeds continue, especially as our kind friend Dr Sonder in Hamburg always so readily lends a helping hand with the forwarding.
With special regards your
Ferd. von Mueller.
It was my intention also to send you the new phytochemical products for the Vienna Exhibition that I had provided for the London Exhibition.
3
The London exhibition was held from 14 April to 31 October 1873; the Vienna exhibition ran from 1 May to 2 November 1873.
The catalogue of Victorian exhibits transmitted to London includes a long list of specimens provided by M (London International Exhibition of 1873 (Melbourne, 1872-73) (1873), 'Official catalogue of exhibits [sent to London]', pp. 18-21); of the 19 samples of tar, four were from Eucalyptus species (p. 19). M later sent samples of ten oils derived from Eucalyptus globulus tar (see M to J. Hooker, 21 April 1873 (in this edition as 73-04-21b)) that were apparently added to the exhibition (see M to J. Hooker, 8 September 1873 (in this edition as 73-09-08b)).
No items sent to Vienna are listed as being prepared by M; the 'Chemical and pharmaceutical preparations from Australian vegetation' that were exhibited were shown by Joseph Bosisto (London International Exhibition of 1873 (Melbourne, 1872-73) (1873), 'The Vienna Universal Exhibition … catalogue of exhibits', pp. 12-14. Hooker apparently understood M to be asking that he send samples of M's oils to Vienna; see M to J. Hooker, 11 August 1873.
M had sent distillations of Eucalyptus leaf oils to an earlier exhibition. The report of the 1862 London exhibition (International Exhibition, London 1862 (1863), Class IV, Section D, ‘Perfumery’) included (pp. 8-9) a review of exhibits from the Australian colonies, among them ‘some very interesting specimens of new essential oils distilled by two Melbourne chemists under the superintendence of Dr. Mueller, the able director of the Botanical Gardens’. M had arranged that the vegetable products exhibited in London on this occasion would be placed at Kew Gardens, with duplicates at the Edinburgh and Dublin gardens (M to J. Hooker, 25 December 1861).
But the departmental means did not permit me to do so. In particular I should have liked to send you the ten new oils that I analysed from the tar oil of Eucalyptus. But Dr Hooker could perhaps send you some samples from London.
I regret the illness of His Excellency, Marshal Jochmus,
4
Baron August Jochmus von Cotignola.
who was very interested in my proposal to cultivate eucalypts on your Adriatic islands.
5
See M to E. Fenzl 24 January 1871 (in this edition as 71-01-24a) and M to E. Fenzl, 14 October 1871.
You should have received the seeds.