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Physical location:
CSO, Acc 527, no. 1469/22, State Records Office of WA, Perth. 83.05.05Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to Malcolm Fraser, 1883-05-05. 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/1880-9/1883/83-05-05-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026
Melbourne, 5./5./83.
The honorable Malcolm Fraser, C.M.G., Chief Secretary of Western Australia.
Allow me to ask you, honored Sir, whether you intend to send any wood-specimens to
the Calcutta-Exhibition,
and if so, whether I could get a piece of each kind of wood large enough to have it
cut into book-form according to the byefollowing sample. It is my intention to have
at the forthcoming Indian Exhibition a library (imitative) of Australian woods of
any kind, and I should like W.A. to be well represented in this series of wood-books.
The sample enclosed is of Acacia Melanoxylon, the Victorian Blackwood; each imitation-book
will get on the back a title purposely printed for the species name, and below that
one for the colony, which yields the wood. The portion, corresponding to leaves, will
not be polished, so that the grain of the wood can be examined as well transversely
as longitudinally. This wood library will remain in the Calcutta-Museum; and as it
will be one of strictly scientific interest, it can include also woods not technologically
used, such as that of Nuytsia, Kingia &c
1
International Exhibition, Calcutta, 1883-4.
I have the honor to be
obediently your
Ferd. von Mueller
Resins and Gums will be also very valuable, but should in each case be accompanied
by branchlets with flowers or fruits of the plant, unless such is well and unmistakably
known by its vernacular name. The same remark applies for scientific naming to the
wood-samples.
2
On 18 May 1883 Fraser sent a minute to the Administrator, John F. Stone: 'I wonder
if Mr. Stone could get any specimens prepared at Convict Establishment'. An inquiry
was sent to the Convict Establishment on 19 May, and Stone replied to Fraser on 21
May: 'I regret the Convict Establishment stock of sample woods has been entirely exhausted
in supplying former demands of this nature. Sample returned herewith.' A further minute is dated 22 May: 'Sir, I forward the […] sample herewith'; the initials
of the author are indecipherable. Fraser replied to Stone on 23 May: 'Will you authorize
the expenditure of say £10 to collect woods & resins & forward them. It will be a
good advertisement for this colony well worth that money.' A minute was added the
same day: 'allow £5 only'; the initials are again indecipherable. The amendment to
the amount was also made in Fraser's minute where '10' was crossed out and replaced
with '5'.
On 25 May 1883 Fraser sent a memo to the Acting Director of Public Works: 'If samples
of the woods of this colony can be procured for £5 you are authorised to obtain them
at once'. He replied on 8 August 1883: 'Specimens forwarded with description herewith'
(CSO, Acc 527, no. 1469/23, State Records Office of WA). Fraser duly forwarded the
material to M; see M. Fraser to M, September 1883 (in this edition as 83-09-00b).
Acacia Melanoxylon
Kingia
Nuytsia