The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 2/10/90. ¶ ¶ At long last, dear Mr Holtze, your packing case arrived yesterday, which you last announced as dispatched. ¶ Through the public dispute and the disrupted shipping as a consequence, this...

Document information

Physical location:

GRG 19/391, State Records of South Australia, Adelaide. 90.10.02

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Maurice Holtze, 1890-10-02. 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/90-10-02>, accessed May 9, 2025

2/10/90.

Endlich, lieber Herr Holtze, kam gestern die Kiste an, welche Sie zuletzt als abgesandt ankündigten. Durch die öffentlichen Zerwürfnisse und die dadurch unterbrochene Schiff-Fahrt wurde diese Sendung wochenlang zurückgehalten in Brisbane. Ich habe mich sehr über den Inhalt gefreuet, u. so wird es mit künftiger Sendung Ihrerseits sein, denn Sie u Ihr Sohn kennen jetzt die gewöhnlichen Pflanzen, so dass künftig meistens nur seltne u neue Arten kommen werden.

Ich werde über das Beste des jetzt Erhaltenen bald genau berichten, u das Neue beschreiben. Auch die Samen, welche Sie so gütig u in so reichlicher Fülle senden, sind mir höchst willkommen, denn ich kann mit solchen Neuheiten meinen Samenaustausch gut fortsetzen.

Möchten Sie wohl einen Versuch machen, durch starkes Düngen die beiden oder drei einheimischen Bambus-Arten, welche Sie in Cultur haben, zur Blüthe zu forciren u zur Samenreife darnach?

Sie werden bald von mir einen weiteren Brief erhalten.

Sie ehrend Ihr

Ferd. von Mueller.

2/10/90.

At long last, dear Mr Holtze, your packing case arrived yesterday, which you last announced as dispatched.

M to M. Holtze, 31 August 1890, shows that M knew a consignment had been prepared and that it might take some time to arrive.

Through the public dispute and the disrupted shipping as a consequence, this consignment was retained in Brisbane for weeks.

Maritime strike, 16 August to 17 October 1890; see also M to M. Holtze, 31 August 1890, and M to M. Holtze, 13 September 1890. The consignment cannot have been delayed in Brisbane for very long because it did not leave Darwin until 27 August, aboard Tannadice which had arrived there only the previous day from Hong Kong via Singapore and Java (South Australian register, 28 August 1890, p. 7).

I am very happy about the contents, as I will be with future consignments from you, because both you and your son are now familiar with the common plants so that in future mostly only rare and new species will arrive.

I will soon report in detail on the best of what has just arrived and describe what is new. The seeds that you send so kindly and in such rich abundance are also exceedingly welcome to me, as I am well equipped with such novelties to continue my exchange of seeds.

Would you be prepared to make an attempt to force the two or three indigenous bamboo species you have under cultivation into flower and then into seed production by heavy manuring?

You will soon receive a further letter from me.

Four further dated letters to Holtze written in October 1890 survive, all mentioning one or more of the specimens received. There are also letter fragments with determinations of Holtze specimens with numbers within the range indicated by these dated letters.

Respectfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.