Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given here is from "The West Australian Natural History Society', West Australian, 8 May 1891 (B91.05.04). It is introduced by 'Mr. Bernard H. Woodward, hon. secretary of the West Australian Natural History Society, has forwarded us, at the request of the President and Council of the Society, the following letter from Baron von Mueller, K.C.M.G., Government Botanist of Victoria :—'.

Melbourne, 21st March 1891.

It was to me a most pleasing surprise, dear Mr. Woodward, to learn from you that the West Australian Natural History Society already has conferred on me so great a distinction as to elect me an honorary member. I recognise this mark of generosity all the more as no opportunity could have arisen to me for rendering your highly promising union as yet any aid or service. Let me, however, at once remark that the flora of West Australia has had a fascinating interest to me throughout my whole scientific career, on account of its extensive elegance and endemism. Fully 50 years ago, I had the opportunity of seeing many West Australian plants growing in Continental University gardens, and as early as 1846 I had access to the large collections of dried plants brought from your colony by L. Preiss.

2

M would have seen Preiss’s plants in Hamburg, either at the botanic garden where the director, J. G. Lehmann, was co-ordinating the description of them in Plantae Preissianae (i.e. Lehmann (1844-7)), or in W. Sonder's private collection, from which almost 4,000 Priess specimens are now in MEL as a result of the Victorian Government’s later purchase of most of the collection (see Short (1990)).

It is not saying too much when I assert that this had a leading influence on my choice of Australia for emigration in 1847, when I had, as a sufferer from phthisis, to seek a winterless clime. Eight years later, I entered with Gregory, as an explorer, West Australian territory, and since then I have had opportunities, and through resources of my own, to be a witness of the attractiveness of the West Australian forms of vegetation in all their glory and grace, and it is with some pride I look to one of my best achievements in life, that of being identified as an elucidator of the vegetation, perhaps through every square mile of the great Western portion of Australia.

But my interest in your vast territorial possessions, and thus also in your Society, extends still much further, as it fell to my share to inspire and even actively to push geographic exploration through many of your vast areas during more than a quarter of a century, and even at the present moment, through the expedition which Sir Thomas Elder's munificence is bringing about.

3

Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition, 1891-2, led by David Lindsay; see M to A. Magarey, 7 April 1891 (in this edition as 91-04-07d), for M's outline of the desired focus of the expedition.

This I merely remark to show how profound an interest I must necessarily take in the scientific progress of West Australia, for which your Natural History Society will for all future be a vivid and guiding exponent.

Pray convey to your honourable President and your Council colleagues my sentiments of deep gratitude for the generous attention shown me.

Some of my works will ere long be presented to your Society's library.