Document information

Physical location:

ML DOC 3229, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. 76.12.15

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to William Woolls, 1876-12-15. 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//letters/1870-9/1876/76-12-15-final.odt>, accessed August 14, 2026

15/12/76
It would be interesting, dear Dr Woolls, if the supposed poisonous properties of
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could be really proved.
I am astonished how any professional man can advance such absurdities about forests, such as I have lately read.
1
A lecture by W. B. Clarke in which he advocated better conservation of forests, published in the Sydney morning herald on 4 November 1876, attracted fierce criticism from L. Fane de Salis, MLC, and a controversy in the pages of the newspaper ensued.
Surely water may fill a river from rain yet, but what good does it there as we have no means to bring it up to tops of hills to serve irrigation by gravitation.
Indeed the water is lost by being swallowed up by the ocean, while trees would have kept much of it and cooled by evaporation the air and generated new clouds, such as you see hang about forests. I hope our rev. friend
2
W. B. Clarke.
will read once more my "Forest-lecture".
3
B71.13.03.
Regardfully
Ferd. von Mueller
I was not aware that Mr Fairfax was here until after he had left.
4
John Fairfax arrived in Melbourne on 19 November (Argus, 21 November 1876, p. 4) and left on 9 December (Argus, 11 December 1876, p. 4).