The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne, ¶ zoologic-botanic Garden, ¶ 14 September 1858. ¶ Revered Professor, ¶ ¶ Everybody who writes about you, and everybody who has the good fortune to be in personal communication with you, pr...

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Physical location:

Eduard Fenzl Nachlass, Archiv der Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria. 58.09.14

Plant names

Dysphania Plantaginella
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Fenzlia obtusa
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Melastomataceae
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Myrtaceae
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Salsolaceae
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Eduard Fenzl, 1858-09-14. 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/58-09-14>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melbourne

im zoologisch-botanischen Garten,

am 14. Sept. 1858.

Hochverehrter Herr Professor.

Wer immer von Ihnen schreibt u wer immer das Glück Ihres persönlichen Umganges hatte, erhebt Ihre Güte so sehr, dass ich es gewagt habe, Sie um Fürsprache für einen Landsmann zu bitten, der an der Universität Wien studirte, dort examinirt wurde als Arzt, aber nicht den Doctorgrad erwarb, der Ausländern unter den augenblicklich hier herrschenden Regulationen allein das Recht zur medicinischen Praxis giebt. Dieser Freund Namens Carl Wulkow aus Boitzenburg, war wie ich aus einer sorgfältigen Durchsicht seiner Zeugnisse ersah von 1844-1848 matriculirter Student Ihrer Universität u bestand im Jahr 1848 das Examen in Medicin Chirurgie u Geburtshilfe, studirte sich vorbereitend von 1842-1844, u diente als Feldarzt im schleswigschen Kriege, stand auch eine Zeit lang unter dem damaligen General Stabsarzt meinem Lehrer Professor Langenbeck einem Lazarett in Flensburg vor. — Ich selbst habe mit ihm wiederholt am Krankenbette consultirt u halte ihn des Vertrauens welches er sich in einer ziemlich ausgedehnten Praxis an der Goldmine Bendigo's erwarb völlig würdig. Dahin geht auch das Urtheil meines Freundes Dr M'Crea, des höchsten Medicinal Beamten der Colonie, der auf meinen Wunsch diese Ansicht schriftlich ausspra[ch,] ihn aber nach dem Wortlaut des Gesetzes nicht in die Reihe der legitimen Ärzte aufzunehmen vermochte.

Da der unglückliche Wulkow (der ausserde[m] Familien Vater ist) durch diese ihm fehlende Legitimität zur Praxis oft verleumdet wurde, gab ich ihm den Rath, die Summe von 50 £ Sterling an den Decan der medicin Facultät von Wien zu senden, u um die Doctorwürde nachzusuchen. Ihr hoher Einfluss, wenn Sie ihn, Herr Professor, zu Gunsten Wulkows geltend machen möchten, würde gewiss das ersehnte Kleinod ihm erwerben. Die Summe soll mit dieser Post abgesandt sein u ich habe mich freiwillig erboten um Ihre Hülfe nachzusuchen.

Dr M'Crae lässt Sie um eine gelegentliche Übersendung der Statuten Ihres Medicinal Wesens bitten, da hier eine Umgestaltung der ärztlichen Gesetze vorgenommen werden soll. Dr Sonder in Hamburg würde bereitwillig die Übersendung übernehmen

Ihre vielen wichtigen Amtsgeschäfte u so gediegenen Arbeiten an der Flora Brasiliens lassen Ihnen gewiss keine Zeit meine Salsolaceen zu revidiren. Ich habe, dies voraussehend, auch den grössten Theil meiner neu entdeckten Arten in den transact of the phil. Instit of Victoria diagnosticirt einige andere in meinen Fragmentis phytographiae Australiae, die Ihnen wohl soweit solche erschienen von Hr Dr Sonder übersandt wurden, sowie eine Anzahl Samen zum Austausch mit Ihrem Garten.

Als einen interessanten Neuling füge ich bei, ganz unähnlich der einzigen bekannten Art dieser Gattung

Wer nicht mit einem grossen allgemeinen Herbarium arbeitet, muss wie ich es schwer finden, namentlich in einer solchen Familie die Grenzen der Gattungen festzustellen. Ich folgte dabei dem Moquin'schen Princip, obgleich mein Freund Jos. Hooker es in der Flora Tasmanica völlig verwirft. Freilich schuf ja die Natur nur species u ewig wird man sich um den Werth der Gattungen streiten, die blosse Anhaltspunkte für den Überblick der Species sind. Vielleicht erscheine ich Ihnen daher in meiner Behandlung der Gattungen der Salsolaceen nicht conservativ genug. — Der herrliche Prinz Paul Wilhelm von Wuertenberg

Württemberg.

hat mir manche Stunde in den letzten Wochen geschenkt, und mir ward die Ehre ihn bei seiner Excellenz dem Gouverneur Sir Henry Barkly einzuführen. Sr Hoheit bittet mich, Ihnen herzliche Grüsse zu bringen u zu sagen, dass sich herrliche Sammlungen bei ihm angehäuft seit den letzten 10 Jahren, wie er Sie zuletzt in Wien sah. Ich bewundere es, wie der greise Mäcen mit jugendlicher Gluth noch der hehren Isis zugethan bleibt.

Empfangen Sie, Herr Professor, mit der Versicherung, dass es mir stets eine Freude sein [wird] [...] Ihnen, dem hohen Gelehrten [...] Freunde Endlichers zu dienen, die [besten] Wünsche für Ihr Wohlergehen.

Ferd Mueller M.D. Ph.D.

The following text is on a separate small sheet of paper found attached to the above letter, but may not have been part of it originally.

Die schöne fand ich an steinigem Abhang des Tafellandes um den Carpentaria-Golf nahe dem Ursprung jener Flüsse welche in den südlicheren Theil der Bai fallen. Mir war damals weder die schöne Abbildung dieser Pflanze in den Atakta bekannt, noch die Ansicht Lindleys, dass das Genus zu den Myrtaceen gehöre. (conf. Lindl. veg. Kingdom. p. 738 ad [it] III.

Da ich nun Fenzlia aus der Beschreibung nur als Melastomea kannte, glaubte ich damals (ohne Bücher) ein neues Genus der Myrtaceen vor mir zu haben u beschrieb es sogleich nach lebenden Exemplaren. Meine Bemerkungen weichen ein wenig von der vortrefflichen Beschreibung des unvergleichlichen Endlicher ab. — z. B.: Frutex pluripedalis amplus patentim ramosissimus. Folia glandulis pellucentibus tomento occultis praedita! superficie parce tomentella. Petala lacte rubra. Stylus uncinatus roseus. Semina in medulla lignes curta sive subossea horizontaliter disposita. — —

Bauers illustr. Fl. Nov. Holl. fehlt mir noch immer.

Melbourne,

zoologic-botanic Garden,

14 September 1858.

Revered Professor,

Everybody who writes about you, and everybody who has the good fortune to be in personal communication with you, praises your kindness so much that I have taken the liberty to ask for your intercession on behalf of a compatriot who studied at the University of Vienna, was examined there as medical doctor, but did not obtain the medical degree which alone gives foreigners the right to practise medicine here under the currently prevailing regulations. This friend, named Carl Wulkow, from Boitzenburg,

Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

was — as I learned from a careful examination of his papers, — a registered student of your University from 1844-1848, and in 1848 passed the examinations in medicine, surgery and gynaecology. He had undertaken preparatory studies from 1842 to 1844 and served as medical officer during the war in Schleswig,

The German-Danish war in Schleswig-Holstein, 1848-50.

where he worked also for some time in charge of a field hospital in Flensburg under the then Chief Medical Officer, my teacher Professor Langenbeck. — I have personally consulted with him repeatedly at a sick-bed,

So far as is known, M never formally practised as a doctor. He may, however, have sometimes accompanied Wulkow when he examined a patient.

and consider him fully deserving of the trust he gained in a fairly extensive practice at the goldmines in Bendigo. My friend Dr McCrea, the highest medical officer in the Colony, supports this opinion, which he expressed in writing at my request; but according to the letter of the law he is unable to admit him into the ranks of legitimate doctors.

As the unfortunate Wulkow (who is also the father of a family) has often been slandered on account of this lack of legitimacy to practise, I gave him the advice to send £50 sterling to the Dean of the medical faculty in Vienna, and to request from there the medical degree. Your great influence, esteemed Professor, if you were to employ it in Wulkow's favour, would surely gain for him the longed-for prize. The sum will be sent with this mail, and I have offered voluntarily to ask for your help.

No evidence has been found of Wulkow's ever being registered to practise in Victoria.

Dr McCrae

i.e. McCrea.

asks to be sent the statutes of your medical system, when convenient, as a reform of the medical laws is planned here. Dr Sonder in Hamburg will be happy to attend to the transmission.

Your many important official duties and your splendid work on the Flora of Brazil

Fenzl was evidently known to be preparing the chapter on for Martius's Flora brasiliensis that was eventually published in 1864 (in vol. 5, part 1, pp. 137-158, t. 45-49).

will surely leave you no time to revise my .

In M to Fenzl, 5 April 1855 (in this edition as 55-04-05a), M was expecting Fenzl to be preparing a treatment of the for the series 'Plantae Muellerianae' in Linnaea; but Fenzl did not contribute to the analysis of any family in this collection.

Anticipating this, I have described the major part of my newly discovered species in the Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria,

B55.13.07, B57.09.04.

some others in my Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae

M described Dysphania plantaginella in B58.07.01, p 61.

which, as far as they have been published to date, should have been transmitted to you by Dr Sonder, as well as a quantity of seeds for exchange with your Gardens.

I enclose as an interesting novelty, quite unlike the only known species of this genus.

Anyone who does not work in a large general herbarium must find it difficult, as I do, to determine the limits of the genera , especially in such a large family. I have followed Moquin's principle here,

C. H. B. A. Moquin-Tandon.

even though my friend Joseph Hooker rejects it completely in the Flora Tasmanica.

J. Hooker (1860); the point M is discussing has not been identified, but it is not the discussion of species and generic limits in Hooker's 'Introductory Essay', which was not issued until 29 December 1859 (TL2). The position of the essay in collations varies, sometimes in vol. 1, sometimes with vol. 2 as it was issued with the final part of that volume. It was also published separately as J. Hooker (1859a).

Of course, nature created only species, and the value of genera, which are purely points of reference for the species, will be quarrelled over eternally. Therefore I may perhaps not appear to you to be sufficiently conservative in my treatment of the . — The excellent Prince Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg has granted me many an hour during the last few weeks, and I had the honour to introduce him to His Excellency the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly. His Highness requested me to transmit to you his regards and to tell you that he has accumulated glorious collections during the past 10 years, since he first met you in Vienna. I admire how the old patron

Prince Paul of Württemberg was 60 years old when he visited Australia in 1858.

still remains devoted to the sublime Isis with youthful vigour.

Receive my best wishes for your well-being, esteemed Professor, with the assurance that it will always be a pleasure for me to serve you, the great savant and friend of Endlicher.

Ferd. Mueller, M.D., Ph.D.

The following text is on a small separate sheet of paper and originally may not have been part of this letter.

I found the beautiful on a stony slope of the tableland around the Gulf of Carpentaria,

During the North Australian Exploring Expedition, 1855-6.

near the sources of those rivers that flow into the southern part of the bay. At the time I was familiar neither with the beautiful illustration of this plant in the Atakta,

Endlicher (1833a), plate 17.

nor with Lindley's opinion that the genus belongs to the (cf. Lindley Veg. Kingd. p.738 at [Table] III).

Lindley (1847), 3rd ed. (1853), p. 738.

As I knew Fenzlia from the description only as a member of the , I thought at the time (without books) to have before me a new genus in the and described it on the spot from living specimens.

M's specimen collected from the Gulf of Carpentaria (K 821495) has his label 'Lithomyrtus hypoleuca Ferd Mueller", a name in the published version of M to W. Hooker, 6 March 1857 (B57.08.01, p. 228); the sheet also carries a label and note referring to the description of in Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, p. 279.

My remarks depart a little from the excellent description by the incomparable Endlicher. — For instance: Frutex pluripedalis amplus patentim ramosissimus. Folia glandulis pellucentibus tomento occultis praedita! superficie parce tomentella. Petala lacta rubra. Stylus uncinatus roseus. Semina in medulla lignes curta sive subossea horizontaliter disposita.

I still lack Bauers illustr. Fl. Nov. Holl.

Bauer (1813).