Document information

Physical location:

Linnean Society of London, Archives, Miscellaneous loose letters, Fellows' files. Mueller, F von, Letter no 6. 54.10.00a

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Richard Kippist, 1854-10 [54.10.00a]. 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//letters/1850-9/1854/54-10-00a-final.odt>, accessed May 10, 2026

1
Letter not found. The MS, in R. Kippist's hand, is headed 'Extract of a letter from Dr Ferd. Müller to Mr Kippist; & dated "Botanic Gardens, Melbourne"'. Beneath the quoted passage Kippist has written 'The L.S. has received the first no. of the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria'. Aston (1984) dates the issue of the first part of the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria, vol. 1, pp. 1-33 to between 18 September and 22 November 1854. That part included M's paper B54.13.06, which he read at the first general meeting of the Society on 12 August 1854 and which was 'laid before the Meeting' of the Society on 14 November 1854 (Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Victoria, p. v), that is, just before Aston's latest date for its publication. M was not sure in early October where his account of new plants would be published (M to J. Foster, 5 October 1854), implying that this letter was written after 5 October. In M to J. Foster, 31 October 1854 M announced that he would be departing on a visit to the 'Australian alps' the next day. His return on 9 March 1855 was announced in M to W. Haines, 19 March 1855. The letter is therefore dated to October 1854 as the most plausible date for its having been sent.
The Sciences are progressing here, in a manner that augurs well for the future. Two Societies have been established,
2
Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science, inaugurated 15 June 1854; Philosophical Society of Victoria, President elected 15 July 1854, formally inaugurated 12 August 1854 (Finney (1993, pp. 80-3).
in both of which I have the honor to sit on the Council, and the Philosophical Society called me to the honble task of writing the first paper for their Transactions.
3
B54.13.06.
I shall take care, during the times of my stay here, that the Linnean Society receives regularly our Transactions, for which we have perhaps, the pleasure of receiving yours in exchange .
4
An agreement to exchange publications with the Linnean Society was reported at the meeting of the Philosophical Society on 10 July 1855 (Proceedings, p. xxv).