Ferdinand von Mueller

1

For a summary of this letter see ML MSS.853/2 letter register, no. 802, The Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (New South Wales Branch), Mitchell Library: 're publications'. For another summary see ML MSS.774/1 General and Administrative Council, minute book, 10 November 1885, Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (NSW Branch), Mitchell Library: 'Baron von Mueller Re Forbes & another vote £1000'.

10/10/85.

Last evening, dear Sir Edward, we held here a Council-meeting,

2

I.e. of the Victorian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia.

and this reminds me, that I still owe you an answer to your last kind letter.

3

Letter not found.

We here will endeavour to get the vote renewed, and with some care may succeed in this for one year more.

4

The Victorian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia had been receiving a subsidy of £1,000 per annum from the Victorian Government.

Three days ago I received a first letter direct from Mr Forbes,

5

See H. Forbes to M, 19 May 1885 (in this edition as 85-09-19c).

and this I laid yesterday before the council here.

We have reason, to set great hope on him! He opened the correspondence himself, which is easily understood, as he is much versed in the knowledge of plants himself, and as Sir P. Scratchley gave his own collector over to Mr Forbes's Expedition.

6

Forbes had been appointed to lead an expedition to New Guinea, jointly sponsored by the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Geographical Society. He arrived in Cooktown, Qld, in August 1885 and from there travelled to New Guinea with Scratchley, who had been appointed Commissioner for the new British Protectorate there.

I had merely sent my little work on "Papuan plants"

7

Probably the first five sections, plus appendices, of M's work, issued between 1875 and 1877. Later issues commencing in 1885 were often treated as a second volume of the work.

to that distinguished Gentleman, and so he sent me a letter of acknowledgement, out of which the Council here ordered such passages to be published in the daily journals here, as would interest the general public.

8

A brief report of Forbes' departure from the coast for the interior of New Guinea was published in the Argus, 14 October 1885, p. 8.

He goes evidently about in the best and safest way, advancing on the Owen Stanley's Range by the Sugaire line.

9

The Sogeri District, where Forbes made his base camp at Saminumu.

He writes, that the first set of his plants is to go to the British Museum, the second to the geographic Society of Australasia. As your Council so considerately ordered the bot collections of our Explorers to be handed for examination and subdivision over to me, it would be important that any sendings from the Expeditions should be forwarded to me at once after arrival in Sydney, so that we may with this part of the Expedition's work as early as possible be before the public. Mr Forbes writes, that at the British Museum the officers are so overwhelmed with work, that he looks to me for the elaboration of his plants. I will therefore communicate with Mr Carruthers and Mr Britten,

10

James Britten.

so that a clear understanding is arrived at, whether they wish me to cede to them any particular families of plants for elaboration.

11

See M to W. Carruthers, 21 October 1885 (in this edition as 85-10-21a), and M to W. Carruthers, 20 June 1886. In his introductory remarks in B90.05.01, M refers to 'a valuable enumeration' by H. N. Ridley [i.e. Ridley (1886)] of the monocotyledons collected by Forbes. M too described new species collected by Forbes in various publications, and in B90.05.01 he promised to devote the following, 10th part of this series to plants collected in New Guinea by Forbes and Bäuerlen. However, though proofs of some pages exist, the promised work was never published.

Mr Carruthers is a specialist in ferns and therefore I shall leave them entirely to him. Mr Forbes further remarks, that the Kew Establishment has not claimed any portions of his collections, which is in accordance with a former expression of Sir Joseph Hooker, that the elucidation of the Papuan flora, (as so much connected with that of North Australia) ought to fall to my share. Mr Forbes writes in a manner, as a true son of science would; and as our correspondence will be mainly phytological, I hope you will not there object to my remaining in direct letter communication with him.

Let me hope, that in this mild spring weather the excellent Mr Maiden will become quite well again. His intention, to come to Victoria, seems not to have been followed up; our cold antarctic breezes may also be against him in the South . He intended to bring Mr Bäuerlen's plants, sent from Thursday-Island;

12

North Qld.

so it would be best if they were forwarded by rail now.

13

J. H. Maiden was ill for much of the second half of 1885 and the early part of 1886, apparently with typhoid fever. M's fears notwithstanding, Maiden visited Melbourne in October 1885, carrying Bäuerlen's Thursday Island plants with himr; see M to E. Strickland, 29 October 1885. He also attended a meeting of the Council of the Victorian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia on 18 November 1885 (see M to E. Strickland, 21 November 1885) and Gilbert (2001), pp. 112-14 interprets this to mean that this involved his making a second trip to Melbourne. It is more likely, however, that a single, more extended stay was involved; consistent with this, in M to J. Maiden, 27 November 1885, M refers to Maiden's having made a 'tour of convalescence'.

What is your idea there, dear Sir Edward, about the issue of all our publications?

14

i.e. of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia.

Would it not expedite matters, if each branch looked after its own issues, but that in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide a fixed number of extracopies, all printed in conformity, were prepared for transmission to Sydney, where they could be bound up into the yearly or halfyearly volumes of the Society.

If at any time I should be guilty of any short comings to the Central Executive Council, or if an apparent want of loyalty should occur, you must be assured, my honored friend, that such will not be real and intentional shortcomings; but in my large and ramified Department, I get often overpowered by work, and may thus be utterly unable to be so attentive as I wish. The day has only 24 hours for all of us; I wish often it had 48! and in that little time of life likely left me , I like to carry out a little progressive work in science yet, irrespective of routine-work. So I hope, that I may become the Society's expounder also of some portion of the Papuan Flora.

Let me hope, dear Sir Edward, that you are happy and well, and remember me kindly also to our excellent Colleagues of the Sydney-Council.