The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne, ¶ 14 July 1873. ¶ ¶ I see from your important notes on English mosses in the ¶ Journal of Botany ¶ , ¶ esteemed Doctor, that you appear to have recovered again from your serious illness....

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Physical location:

Sign. 630.1.1.4, Arkivet, Svenska Literatursällskapet, Universitetsbibliotek, Helsingfors, Finland. 73.07.14c

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Otto Lindberg, 1873-07-14 [73.07.14c]. 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/73-07-14c>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melbourne

14/7/73.

Ich sehe, hochgeehrter Herr Doctor, aus dem Journal of Botany in Ihren wichtigen Notizen über englische Moose, dass Sie wohl jetzt nach Ihrem schweren Leiden wieder hergestellt sind. Daher wage ich es nun vorzufragen, wie es mit der Rücksendung meiner Moose steht. Bis heute sind solche nicht angekommen, u mir ist bange, dass ein Unglück damit entstanden ist. Ich bin für die Rückerstattung hier verantwortlich.

Schreiben Sie mir doch wenigstens ein paar Worte , wie u auf welche Weise Sie die Rücksendung machten. Ich bin ebenfalls ohne all Notizen über die Ausarbeitung. Ist absolut gar nichts darüber erschienen, oder hat die Sendung irgend eines Druckes mich nicht erreicht?

Ich bin doch ganz freundlich Ihnen gegenüber gewesen. Das Werk Hookers über die Flora Tasmanica war eine Privatgabe. Es kostete mir gebunden £15 also etwa 100 Thaler. Ich führe dies nur an, um Ihnen zu zeigen, dass ich einem so ausgezeichneten Mooskenner wie Sie gern dienstbar sein wollte.

Also senden Sie mir doch wenigstens einige antwortende Reihen u ermuthigen Sie mich damit zu weitern gelegentlichen Zusendungen von Moosen, deren sich doch zuweilen noch einige in diesem moos-armen Lande finden

Ihr Sie Ehrender

Ferd. von Mueller

Melbourne,

14 July 1873.

I see from your important notes on English mosses in the Journal of Botany,

In its report of the meeting of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh held on 11 July 1872, the Journal of botany, vol.10 (1872), p. 317, printed a note by Lindberg, 'Is Hydrocharis really dioecious?' read to the Society; however, Hydrocharis is not a moss. There were comments in several places in the 1872 volume about Lindberg's presenting papers in other journals, and a mention (p. 285) of his having visited Oxford (but not stating when the visit took place). M may have been mis-remembering where he saw notes by Lindberg on British mosses: the paper most closely fitting the description is Lindberg (1873), read to the Linnean Society of London at its meeting of 16 February 1871 and included in the part of the Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany, issued on 5 March 1872. It is also possible that he was referring to Lindberg (1873a) which, while purportedly based on a specimen of a Tasmanian moss sent to Lindberg by J. D. Hooker, contains a wide-ranging discussion of the systematics of mosses and liverworts; that paper was communicated to the meeting of the Linnean Society at its meeting of 18 April 1872 and included in the part issued on 29 May 1872. For dates of issue, see Gage & Stearn (1988), p, 217. Both these papers were listed as issued in botanical news in the Journal of botany, vol. 10 (1872), pp. 158 and 221 respectively.

esteemed Doctor, that you appear to have recovered again from your serious illness. I therefore take the liberty to inquire what the situation is regarding the return of my mosses. They have not arrived so far and I am worried that they have met with some misfortune. I am responsible here for their return.

At least write to me a few words on how and by what means you arranged their return. I am also completely without news about the work on them. Has nothing at all been published about them, or has the transmission of some publication not reached me?

No paper by Lindberg devoted to the specimens sent by M in July 1868 (see M to O. Lindberg, 17 July 1868 (in this edition as 68-07-17a)) has been found, although there was mention of a few specimens from M in Lindberg (1868), e.g, pp. 100, 102.

I have, after all, been quite obliging towards you. Hooker's work on the Flora tasmaniae was a private gift. It cost me £15 bound, that is about 100 Thaler.

J. Hooker (1860); see M to O. Lindberg, 19 April 1871 (in this edition as 71-04-19a). In that and other, earlier letters, M said that the cost was £15 unbound ('ungebunden').

I only mention this to show you that I really wanted to be of service to so excellent a moss specialist as you.

So please do send me at least a few lines in reply, to encourage me to send you occasional moss consignments in future, such as are found now and then in this country so poor in mosses.

Respectfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.