Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found; item is a handwritten transcription by Charles Daley.

6/7/86.

I should have thanked you, dear Ettie, before today for the elegant present, sent by you in remembrance of my birthday, and which token of your attachment, I all the more value as it is the product of your own cleverness, both in design and in working. I shall put it with my best treasure, and often thus be reminded of you.

It was also very pleasing for me to receive such kind letters from your dear mother and yourself.

2

Letters not found.

The day was more than usually festive to me as several friends called, though the Marquis and the Marchioness Toverena could after 6 years this time only send me a gratulation from Malaya. Dr and Mrs Buettner

3

Alexander and Henriette Büttner.

called also in their splendid carriage and brought rich presents, as did some members of Dr Bardell's family,

4

Transcription error for Rudall?.

with whom I spent part of the evening and part with Dr Buettner's family. Dr Haig sent me also a splendid present, so Mrs Roberts and her daughter,

5

Presumably Miss Edith Roberts, to whom M presented an inscribed vanity box, now held in private hands, on 15 July 1881.

while my assistants also did not allow the day to pass without some kindly mark of remembrance, so Dr Llewellyn's

6

J. H. H. Lewellin.

family. I do not know how to thank all these kind people for their generous sentiments towards me.

You express a hope that I may meet you at your own domicile again; but really my chest sufferings forbid me to make long tours; indeed I have had a distressing cough since cool weather came on in autumn, nor was I free of pulmonary troubles even during the summer, the southern winds being even then so cold.

You live such a long way away and a journey to you even in summer would subject me to the influence of much cold air. Moreover the engagements in my Department have been most pressing for years past, particularly through the extra work for the Exhibitions, as there has been one every year somewhere since 1880,

7

e.g. International Exhibitions in Sydney, 1879-80, Melbourne, 1880-1, Amsterdam, 1883, Calcutta, 1883-4, London, 1884, St Petersburg, 1884 and the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, London, 1886.

for which my Department had to furnish lots of things and this under so very great difficulties, since I have no longer the facilities and larger means which for such purposes were available to me then in the Botanical Gardens.

I feel very proud when the Marquis of Lorne lately referred to me in such a laudatory manner in his Presidential address at the Royal Geographical Society of England.

8

See Lorne (1886), p. 443: 'With Baron von Müller as President of the Melbourne branch of the Australasian Geographical Society, we may be sure that the scientific aspects of the investigation of this magnificent new field [New Guinea] will not be overlooked, and if a moving interest be not already felt in the subject, it may well be excited by the admirable paper with which the Baron lately opened the session of that association.'

B86.01.05 New Guinea portion of M'slecture delivered on 18n January 1886 , and published in full as B87.05.03.

I am often very sorry that my worldly means are so narrow and that my scientific relations all over the world involve so many pecuniary sacrifices, that I can do very little for the comfort of my own household, and thus also so little for anyone of yours there. I keep not even a single horse and only one man and a servant, yet it is impossible in such a position as mine to save anything, especially as the numerous charities of so great a city as Melbourne put us all here under such endless contributions. Let me hope that you are all happy and well. Health is next to a good conscience, the greatest treasure in the world unless family love.