Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne bot. Garden,

6/12/66.

Honored and dear Sir,

In the interview, which you kindly conceded to me this day, I omitted to call your attention once more to the subject of the acquirement of the Sonderian collections as you desired. Allow me then briefly to repeat, that I will pay the sum of six hundred pounds towards the purchase if you would kindly place the same sum on the estimates of 1867 and if my own outlay could be refunded in 1868.

The purchase sum, originally fixed at £1800 is reduced by the proprietor (more particularly out of attachment to myself) to £1200. -. -, and if it is considered that Dr Sonder invested much capital in these collections and spent 30 years labor on their compilation, the sum asked is in really far under the permanent value of these plants I had already the honor to point out in successive communications to you & your predecessors, that the acquisition of this noble herbarium would make ours only second to that of Kew and equal to that of Paris, Berlin, Vienne and Geneve, and much more important than any other. I would beg to mention also again, that several more volumes of my works could have been written within the last years and with no more research than spent on them, had I enjoyed the possession of this collection in the Department, it comprising so many plants of authors, who existed before my time. The outlay would be one not reoccurring and in which I have no personal interest beyond desiring for the benefit of my scientific labours all the encouragement and all the facilities that could be afforded. It would reflect great credit for all times on the present administration, if like in the instance of providing my modest laboratory also the Sonderian collections could be secured by you.

Let me remain, honorable Sir, your

The honorable

Jam. M'Culloch, M.P.

Chief Secretary

1

MS annotation by McCulloch: 'no'. For the formal reply, see J. Moore to M, 17 December1866.

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