Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS black-edged; M's brother-in-law, Eduard Wehl, died on 11 February 1876.

14/10/76

Gladly would I accede to your request, dear Mr Dyer, to complete the series of my reports at the Kew-library, but I have not even a private copy myself. Few more copies were printed than those required by the Parliament; hence of the older documents hardly ever a copy can be obtained. I am sure that I always despatched a copy for Kew, and I think they must have arrived in due course. Should you attach great value to the completion of these documents, then you might apply to the Agent General for Victoria, the hon. Archib. Michie, as he might write a note on the subject to the Ministry here, and of course then a special effort would be made to search for any copies of these reports, if any exist yet.

2

MS annotations:

'63-64

64-65 recd Augt 16/77

65-66

66-67

70

71

72

73.

ff 34-5 of the volume containing this letter is a letterpress copy of W. Thiselton-Dyer, on behalf of J. Hooker, to Victoria’s Agent-General in London, A. Michie, 27 February 1877, informing him that RBG Kew appeared not to have received the Melbourne Botanic Garden annual reports for 1864, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71,72 and 73 and asking for his help in obtaining copies. The reply of the following day (f. 36), signed A. Yardley, promises to write to the Colonial Government for the reports listed and to forward them when received.

A. Yardley to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 15 August 1877 (f. 37) forwarded 'For record in your Department, three Parliamentary Papers … which practically deal with the periods to which your application relates. The Government has intimated that these are the only Reports that appear to have been published, relating to the years named in your letter.' MS annotation to this letter by Thistelton-Dyer: 'Recd. reports for 1864-5 / 1874.'