Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. For the text given here, see Argus, 8 August 1865, p. 6. The letter was also published in the Australasian, 15 April 1865, p. 7.

River Acheron,

2

Vic.

March 8.

My Dear Sir, —

In these alpine regions we have no regular opportunities of obtaining the news of the day, and it was only on visiting this place that I chanced to peruse your very highly interesting lecture, as published in The Australasian,

3

B65.02.03.

on the fate of my poor lamented friend and old companion, Leichhardt.

It is needless for me to state the pleasure it gave me to read your noble appeal to the public, yet I cannot refrain from offering to you my humble thanks for endeavouring to awaken sufficient interest in the minds of the many that will never, I sincerely trust, be satisfied until some certain clue as to the fate of Leichhardt and his companions has been discovered.

It is impossible for me to express the feelings which possess me when on this subject; but I am most anxious to hear how your appeal will be received. Perhaps before this reaches you arrangements will have been made to despatch a party at once, to solve the problem of Leichhardt's fate; and doubtless, under your auspices, sufficient contributions from private sources will be easily obtained to enable a party to equip themselves in a proper manner for the due performance of such a task. In any case, the fault of failure will not be yours, for all who read your lecture must feel surprised that the undertaking was not accomplished years ago.

I can only say this for myself — that had I been possessed of sufficient means of my own your lecture would probably have been unnecessary, for at my own cost I would long since have (D.V.)

4

deo volente = God willing.

unravelled the mystery enshrouding Leichhardt's fate, or reached Swan River

5

WA.

by the same or a similar route as that poor L. intended to take. For years I have husbanded the idea, and had I had the opportunity I would either have shared his fate, let it be whatever it may, or solved the mystery. You, at least, will not be surprised at my feelings on this matter, and you will easily comprehend how ardently I desire to see some attempt made that will result in setting at rest once and for ever the doom of my honoured and revered friend — for be he dead, I hold it as a stigma upon us that we do not know that he is so; and leaving poor L. entirely out of the question, surely all will admit that each individual of the party is entitled to every exertion we can use to rescue them, if living, from the miserable existence they must be enduring.

I am one of those who still believe in the possibility of poor L. and his companions being still in existence, as I cannot think of anything likely to cause the death of a whole party, and every trace of them obliterated from the face of the earth.

Who can think that, with L.'s extensive knowledge and experience, starvation has caused their death?

Is it likely, in such a country as this, or with such a climate, that disease has cut them off? And as for hostile tribes, it is my belief that the party would always be so far in the interior, and always too much on their guard, for the comparatively harmless blacks inland to destroy them.

With thanks to you for your noble endeavours in so good a cause, and from my heart wishing you every success, believe me faithfully yours,

Dr. Mueller, Botanical-gardens,

Melbourne.