Ferdinand von Mueller

22/8/63.

My dear Miss Euphemia.

May I offer for your acceptance the volume of our R.S.,

1

Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria, vol. 4. The Institute became the Royal Society of Victoria towards the end of M's year as President.

published during my presidency. You may find some passages in it not without interest to you. I have calmly thought of all what your kind letter of yesterday conveys, and the more I reflect on your noble action towards me, the more I admire the pureness of your sentiments. I hope you are quite collected again, and that your strength and health is not impaired by the miseries and trials of late events. It is a great consolation to me, that you not dismissed me in feelings of anger, and that you deemed me worthy of retaining your elevating friendship. It is not my intention to send for anything, that you out of delicacy wished to return to me. Some of my letters may be worthy of being kept by you as tokens of remembrance and of my unalterable esteem, and others, which you could not reread without deep melancholy you will perhaps consign to the flames. I will with your kind permission retain yours with one or two exceptions and regard them as dear records of a beautiful period of my life.

2

None of Henderson's letters to M have been found.

I am still too confused to write much, but will gladly make use of my privilege of adressing you from time to time. I need scarcely add, that I shall not allow anything to be said in regard to our now altered position, that could be in any way whatever hurtful to your feelings, and beg of you, that you will not in your goodness and tenderness spare me in screening the faults arising out of my altho' unintentional error, as I must take all censure for my actions towards you as well deserved from both your and my friends.

With the regards of a sincere and feeling friend, I remain, dear Miss Euphemia, yours