The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 30/10/91. ¶ ¶ At last, dear Mr Tepper, you will receive the names of your son's last-sent plants. I have had to lay aside the majority of the collections that arrived whilst I brought the enlarged ed...

Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M198, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 91.10.30

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Otto Tepper, 1891-10-30. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/91-10-30>, accessed September 11, 2025

MS annotation by Tepper: 'Rec'd 3.11.91 Reply 4.11.91'. Letter not found.

30/10/91.

Endlich, lieber Herr Tepper, erhalten Sie die Namen der zuletzt gesandten Pflanzen Ihres Sohns. Ich habe die meisten Sammlungen, welche ankamen, während ich die erweiterte Ausgabe der "Select plants" durch die Presse brachte, zurücklegen müssen.

Übrigens hatte auch eine frühere flüchtige Durchsicht nichts besonders Merkwürdiges gezeigt. Hoffentlich hat sich der junge Sammler nicht entmuthigen lassen. Sollte ich sehr beschäftigt sein in dringenden Angelegenheiten zu irgend einer Zeit, werde ich doch immer das Einlaufende eilig anschauen, u dann etwa Wichtiges gleich vornehmen. Mehr kann kein Naturforscher thun, der nicht Privatmann ist. Hat Ihr Sohn seit Monaten nichts mehr gesandt? Hoffentlich habe ich das Vergnügen, Sie gegen Ende nächsten Monats in Adelaide kennenzulernen.

Ihr

Ferd. von Mueller.

30/10/91.

At last, dear Mr Tepper, you will receive the names of your son's last-sent plants. I have had to lay aside the majority of the collections that arrived whilst I brought the enlarged edition of the Select plants

B91.09.01.

through the press.

By the way, an earlier hasty inspection also had disclosed nothing particularly remarkable . It is to be hoped the young collector will not allow himself to be discouraged. Should I be very busy in urgent matters at any one time, I'll certainly always look at the items coming in quickly, and then work on possibly important things immediately. More can no naturalist do, who is not a private man. Has your son sent nothing more for months? It is to be hoped I'll have the pleasure to get to know you towards the end of next month in Adelaide.

M did not travel to Adelaide until January 1892. He arrived on 19 January to discuss with Sir Thomas Elder, whose guest he was, the proposed Antarctic exploration and the problems with the Central Australian expedition led by David Lindsay and funded by Elder. M left for Melbourne on the afternoon express the following day. On his arrival, he had been met at the railway station by the SA Attorney General (Hon. R. Homburg), Maurice Holtze and Otto Tepper (Advertiser (Adelaide), 21 January 1892, p. 4).

Your

Ferd. von Mueller.