The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: I am very appreciative of the honour that you and our colleagues have deigned to do me and of the assistance you have lent me during the period of my Directorship. ¶ M was elected Director of the Acad...

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93.12.00e

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Hector Léveillé, 1893-12 [93.12.00e]. 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/93-12-00e>, accessed September 11, 2025

Letter not found. The text given here is from Le monde des plantes , vol. 3, p. 169 (B94.02.01). The addressee is identified by the reference to 'mon cher Professeur': Léveille was the Permanent Secretary of the Academy. It is dated to December 1893 as the latest likely date that it could have been written to have been published in the issue of 1 February 1894; it may, however, have been written in October (see n. 3 below). The text is preceded by 'L'Académie adresse ses remerciements à l'éminent et dévoué Directeur qui l'a présidée durant l'année 1893.' [The Academy extends its thanks to the distinguished and dedicated Director who presided over it in 1893.]

Je suis bien sensible à l'honneur que vous et nos collègues avez daigné me faire et de l'assistanee

l'assistance?

que vous m'avez prêtée pendant la durée de mon Directorat.

Avec l'expression de mes souhaits pour la prospérité continuelle de l'Académie et pour l'extension de son influence bienfaisante sur l'avancement de la Botanique géographique, je suis, mon cher Professeur, votre très dévoué .

Ferd. von MUELLER.

I am very appreciative of the honour that you and our colleagues have deigned to do me and of the assistance you have lent me during the period of my Directorship.

M was elected Director of the Académie Internationale de Géographie Botanique for the year 1893; see M. to H. Léveille, 3 December 1892. The French botanist Pierre Duchartre had been identified as Director for 1894 but when he declined to serve, it was announced that M would continue as Director until a successor was found; see Le monde des plantes , no. 29, 1 December 1893, p. 42. M had, however, become increasingly unhappy with the arrangements at the Academy, especially with Léveillé's acting in his name without reference to him, and in October he had written to resign; see M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 3 November 1893. The text given here is very likely a carefully edited extract from the letter in which he did so. It is possible the Lévielle extracted and translated parts of other letters that M wrote to him and published them over M’s name, whether or not M intended them for publication, for example B94.08.01, B95.05.02.

With the expression of my wishes for the continued prosperity of the Academy and for the extension of its beneficent influence on the advancement of geographical Botany, I am, my dear Professor, your most devoted.

Ferd. von MUELLER.