Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter has Strickland's printed letterhead.

Sydney N. S. Wales

13th Sept/87

Pardon me my dear Baron I beg of you for not having long ago replied to your kind note of the 1st Inst.

2

Letter not found.

The truth is that I am troubled with gout and a terrible despondency which unfits me for everything and makes me often very forgetful of social duties. It was very kind of you to write to me and I thank you for it very much. I do trust very sincerely that your your

3

Word repeated in going from one page to the next.

health is recovering and that you are enjoying our lovely Spring weather. I always look upon Spring time in Australia as the perfection of climate —

Judging from some papers sent to me from Adelaide the Geographical Congress seems to me to have been a great success — I really can find no words to express my regret and great disappointment at being unable to join the party — Antarctic exploration will I trust be carried out — from here I have no hopes of getting 1s towards defraying expenses and to my mind we must rely chiefly on private liberality for the necessary funds — I see that some munificent offers have been made at Adelaide — All this may lead to a reconsideration of the important subject at home and here and elsewhere, but as I said before I have no hopes from our Government.

There is a vast tract of unexplored country in Central and N. Western Australia which I should much wish to see visited by a competent explorer. I do hope it may not be long before I have the pleasure of seeing you — meanwhile pray believe me to be always

4

There is a sentence in the margin, of which neither the intended location nor the author is known: 'I sent you about 90 to 100 nearly a month ago'.

I really cannot praise too much your admirably compiled Vol of your proceedings — We shall be very glad here of some copies — I have another paper prepared here but I really have no heart to work here for our Society — If I could give it up with honor I would do so at once, but it is still in a mess therefore I am obliged to stand by it in the hour of need. If you can find time I wish that you would kindly write me a long letter telling me all about the Conference and epitomizing the result thereof — It strikes me that there ought to be a special vol. prepared descriptive of the whole event, and this all the more as it must ever form an important incident in the history of the Society in these Colonies —

Please tell me concerning maps of these Colonies — Have you St anf ords's latest map ?

5

The most recent map of all of Australia by Stanford found in catalogues was published in 1876. However, maps of NSW, SA, Qld, and Vic were published in 1886.

which do you look upon as the best Map of Australia —

I want to get the most modern Maps of the world and of Australia giving plainly the sea routes and railways and if possible telegraph wires

6

Note in an unknown hand: 'Re [...] [...] [...] the 1st Steam route connecting Great Britain with Australia was in 1852 via Suez and Singapore thence to K.G. Sound &c.'

— also including all recent information of [...] and French conquests there and of Afghanistan boundary —

Please say what these ought to cost and in haste believe me to be ever

P.S. I am writing to Panton