Ferdinand von Mueller

Below the signature is pasted a press-cutting, glued on to a separate small sheet of paper on which is written, beneath the cutting, in an unknown hand: ‘“A Traveller's Notes” by Wanderer | Footscray Chronicle 12/6/80’. The cutting, apparently part of a longer article, is reproduced here:

From ship-sailing to exploration is a wide jump, but I cannot close my budget without referring to the good news received by the last English mail, with reference to the Royal Geographical Society acknowledging the valuable services rendered by Ernest Giles, the explorer, by awarding him one of its two gold medals for 1880. It is almost superfluous to state that Mr. Giles was the plucky leader of four great expeditions and several smaller ones in this country between the years 1872-6. Whilst politicians were kicking each other's feet under the mahogany, and saying that Giles was a fool to hurt his constitution for the sake of fame, and that the R.G.S. and the indefatigable old Baron should reward the “conceited traveler”, the object of their undeserved remarks had opened up some fine tracts of country and solved problems which the united body of M. P.’s had not in them the energy or pluck to perform. As regards the foreign doctor, who by the bye has got dressed down in the colonial industry controversy re Exhibition chairs, [* see below] I can vouch for his not only having given scientific aid to Ernest Giles, but forked out the "sugar", which is the main thing when the plate goes round to further a good object of national interest such as exploration. The doctor may have been wrong in fighting with the powers concerning his laboratory , [underlining by hand, in ink] his plantation, and all those sorts of things, but it has been proved that his heart beat quick, his mind was broad, and his "sugar" accessible whenever Ernest Giles was in a fix about his intended explorations. This is one to the credit of the Baron, and I can't say how much Australia owes to the gallant explorer I have now noticed.

*There was a heated debate about the conditions under which contracts would be let for the chairs required for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, especially whether the use of Chinese labour would be permitted and contracts restricted to Melbourne firms. There were also allegations that the Government had appointed additional members to the Exhibition Commission to ensure that their protectionist position was safeguarded (see, for example, Argus, 6 May 1880, p. 6, cols a – c; and 21 July 1880, p. 4, col. g). M was one of the 48 additional Commissioners appointed in April 1880 (Victoria government gazette, Supplement. 9 April 1880). The Australasian (8 May 1880, p. 593) berated M for voting to support the protectionist stance.