Ferdinand von Mueller

17/3/91.

Private.

The young person to whom you refer,

1

George French?

dear Prof Tate, could not possible participate in the expedition, which the munificence and highmindedness of Sir Thomas Elder is about to send out. The reasons against it are:

1, he has only a most scanty knowledge of native plants even of those at Port Phillip and could not collect with any discriminative knowledge therefore would only be a mechanic collector.

2, when I sent him with the Field-Naturalists party to King's-Island

2

'French jun.' was a member of the expedition to King Island in Bass Strait in November 1887 by members of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria (Victorian naturalist, vol. 4, part 9 (January 1888), p. 129). Although usually used for Charles H. French, the appellation 'jun.' seems to have been applied to George French elsewhere in Victorian Naturalis t; see M to Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, February 1888, n. 2.

as a first field-trial, he never left the camp, as he shrunk from the exertions to go into the scrub with the other members and did not care to carry any burden.

3, He takes more interest in Birds eggs and other zoologic objects than in plants

4, Even if he was a recommendable botanic Collector, I could not spare him from the Office in 1891, as all through this year the work will be very heavy. The 8th Edt of the Select plants is also just to be brought out, in which however he cannot aid.

3

The 8th Edt … cannot aid. is a marginal note b y M against this section of the text without indication of its intended position.

I trained him for clerical work specially, and if his assistance is withdrawn now, I have to teach someone else, and shall loose no end of time, at a period, when least I can afford it. I took him to the Alps as a personal attendent, not for any real help in collecting plants

4

Presumably the excursion in January1890 to the Australian Alps following the Melbourne meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, which Tate also attended (Argus, 21 January 1890, p. 6).

My proposition to Sir Th. Elder will be, that Dr Elliott

5

Frederick John Elliott.

be desired, to take charge as a byework of botanic collecting, and that all members be provided by the Dr daily with some large envelopes, to put in branchlets &c, as occasion arises. I hope, that my assistant has not been in any way apprized of your idea, to send him with the caravane.

I am quite touched with what you say of our Maecenas' intended generosity towards me; but it is a subject of great delicacy, and could not assume a monetary shape, as I am a public Officer. What I have done toward Sir Thomas Expedition has been far less than for Baron Nordenskiold's, and has been a source of honorable pride to me. I will write to our patron to morrow,

6

Letter not found.

after having seen members of the geographic council here, in response to his two last letters.

I hope that you got the note about Mr Eckarts 5 plants new for S.A.

7

i.e. J. P. Eckert. See M to R. Tate, 7 March 1891.