Ferdinand von Mueller

20/10/86

I understand, dear Professor du Bocage, that you desired some anthropologic articles for your Museum from Australia; so I have collected together a few from the aborigines, and send them now through my London Agents, Mess. Watson & Scull. It is now very difficult, to get weapons from the natives, as the tribes are dying out, and their former warfare and nomadic habits have ceased. In the box I have also packed some specimens of dried plants for Count Ficalho, who kindly sent me some of Welwitsch's plants formerly. Farther I forward the full series of Mr Lindts magnificent photographic pictures of New Guinea, in five volumes. Perhaps your geographic Society would elect him a corresponding member in acknowledgement, especially as he will shortly also publish a work on New Guinea.

1

Lindt (1887). The five volumes M sent probably contained the fifty New Guinea photographs included in this work.

If you think, that these five volumes would be acceptable to his Majesty, I could send the Society a second set. The present sending is from myself.

As President of the Vict. geogr. Soc. I would repeat a solicitation, to try finding out through your geographic Society, who the Portuguese Captain was, who at Vasco da Gama's time mapped already the West-coast of Australia down to the latitude of Cape Leewin.

2

In Major (1859) and elsewhere, R. H. Major argued, chiefly on the basis of the so-called 'Dieppe maps' produced in France in the mid-16th century, that Portuguese navigators had 'discovered' Australia earlier in the 16th century and mapped long stretches of the coast, long before the Dutch to whom the credit of discovery had usually been given. Though subsequently much criticized for want of convincing evidence, the idea has continued to find some defenders.

Your Archivar of the Kingdom would perhaps search for documents, or the Professor of History of your University. If I could learn this by February next, I could give the details in my next Presidential Adress.

3

B87.05.03? Though published subsequently to M's letter, M presented this 'Annual Address' to the Victorian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia on 18 January 1886; he did not present his next such address until 2 September 1889 (B89.10.01). There is no mention of the supposed Portuguese exploration in the published text of either address.

I will send Count Ficalho more botanic specimens hereafter.