The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ [Dr Mueller called on me yesterday evening with a letter from Professor Owen relative to the Meteorite, which the Professor is anxious not to have cut but forwarded whole to the British Museum, the...

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Physical location:

61.12.00

Preferred Citation:

Richard Owen to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1861-12. 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/1860-9/1861/61-12-00-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

Letter not found. The text given here is from a letter from H. Barkly to F. McCoy, 11 February 1862 (Archives, Museum of Victoria, Melbourne). Owen's letter is dated to December 1861 as the latest it could have been written to have been available to show Governor Barkly on 10 February 1862.

[Dr Mueller called on me yesterday evening with a letter from Professor Owen relative to the Meteorite, which the Professor is anxious not to have cut but forwarded whole to the British Museum, the Trustees engaging to send out Mr. Abel's smaller mass for the Melbourne Museum.]

Barkly concluded his letter to McCoy by writing

I told Dr Mueller that this was my own suggestion, & that I shld be glad to see it carried out forthwith, but that I had nothing to do with the ownership of the "Bruce" Meteorite, further than any lien which I might be supposed to have on it for the expenses of transport. I presume he has since called upon you on the subject.

The "Bruce Meteorite" is the larger of the Cranbourne meteorites, which had been purchased by James Bruce.