Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS annotation by Petermann: 'Erh. 7. Nov. 1871' [Received 7 November 1871]. For a published version of this letter, see Voigt (1996), p. 102.

Melbourne im bot Garten

9/9/71.

Jetzt, edler Freund, da die Forschung Neu Guineas nicht nur soviele Gemüther bewegt, sondern sogar 2 Expeditionen dort thätig beschäftigt, mag irgend eine neue Notiz über dies grosse Inselland besondern Werth haben. Daher möchte es Sie interessiren, dass der Capt. Andrew Edgar vom Schooner "Emma Patterson" 200 Meilen weit in den Golf von Astrolabe eindrang, obgleich nach den bestehenden Karten dieser Golf nur eine geringe Ausdehnung hat. Capt. Edgar sagt mir, dass er, nachdem er 200 Meilen einwärts gesegelt, das Ende der Bucht noch nicht gesehen! Sehr hohe Gebirge wahren

2

waren?

sichtbar vom innern Astrolabe Golf u er glaubt, dass sich der Alpenzug durch das ganze Innere Neu Guineas der Länge nach erstrecke. Der unglückliche Mann verlor seinen Schooner in einer Cyclone nahe Neu Caledonien.

In der Insel Misnamin in der Geelvink Bai befinden sich 2 deutsche Missionare, die Herren Otto u Geisner, welche wohl über die Geographie u Ethnologie jenes Platzes Auskunft geben könnten.

Melbourne Botanic Garden,

9 September 1871.

Now, noble friend, when the exploration of New Guinea not only occupies so many minds but when two expeditions are actually in the field there,

3

The young Russian, Nikolai Mikluho-Maklay, arrived at Astrolabe Bay, New Guinea in September 1871 and remained there until December 1872. News that he was coming sufficiently alarmed the Dutch administration in Batavia that in mid-1871 they fitted out their own expedition to visit the area.

any notices on this large island may be of particular value. You may therefore be interested that Captain Andrew Edgar of the schooner Emma Patterson penetrated 200 miles into Astrolabe Bay, although according to existing maps this bay is supposed to be of only minor expansion.

4

Modern maps agree with those to which M refers. It would appear that Edgar had mistaken his location.

Captain Edgar told me that, having sailed 200 miles landward, he was still unable to see the end of the bay! Very high mountain ranges were visible from the inner Astrolabe Bay, and he believes that this mountain range extends through the whole length of the interior of New Guinea. The unfortunate man lost his schooner in a cyclone in the vicinity of New Caledonia.

5

Emma Patterson was wrecked on 25 April 1871 off Noumea, with the loss of some crew (‘Shipping news’, Newcastle chronicle, 27 May 1871, p. 2).

There are two German missionaries on Misnamin Island

6

Mansinam Island?

in Geelvink Bay, Messrs Otto and Geisner,

7

Both missionaries, Johann Gottlieb Geissler (1830-1870) and Karl Ottow (?-1862) were dead at the time M was writing; see Voigt (1996), p. 102.

who will be able to provide information on the geography as well as the ethnology of that locality.