The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Easter 1892 ¶ ¶ Enclosed I am sending you again a Characea from a new locality, esteemed Dr Nordstedt, asking always to quickly ¶ return ¶ to me this and a specimen of any other ¶ unnumbered ¶ co...

Document information

Physical location:

Handskr. avdl., Universitetsbibliotek, Lund. 92.04.17c

Plant names

Characeae
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Otto Nordstedt, 1892-04-17 [92.04.17c]. 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/92-04-17c>, accessed September 11, 2025

Ostern 1892

Hierbei sende ich Ihnen wieder eine Characea von einem neuen Standort, geehrter Herr Dr Nordstedt, bittend mir von dieser u. irgend einer anderen unnumerirten Sendung stets bald ein Exemplar für die Staats Sammlung zu retouriciren .

Dr Cooke, dem ich durch manche Jahre viele Güte erwiesen, lässt mich in seiner Critik Ihres schönen Characeen-Werkes ganz unbeachtet . Freilich ist Ihre eigne Vorrede in keiner Weise löblich für mich, nicht einmal gerecht, ja sogar beleidigend in Bezug auf das Material u doch hat mein unvergesslicher Freund Al. Br. ganz gut damit arbeiten können. Bedenken Sie, ich bin kein Privatmann, u sollte in meiner amtlichen Stellung immer von den Monographen unterstützt werden

Sie ehrend

Ferd. von Mueller

Können Sie etwas in meinem Namen an Herrn Holtz in Greifswald abgeben?

Easter 1892

In 1892 , Easter fell on 17 April.

Enclosed I am sending you again a Characea from a new locality, esteemed Dr Nordstedt, asking always to quickly return to me this and a specimen of any other unnumbered consignment.

Dr Cooke, to whom I have shown much kindness through many years, leaves me quite unnoticed in his review of your fine work.

An unsigned review of Nordstedt (1891) in Grevillea, vol. 20 (March 1892), p. 92, presumably bt the editor Mordecai Cooke. The review commented that 'the services of Professor Nordstedt have been secured' but does not mention that it was M who enlisted Nordstedt.

Admittedly your own preface is in no way commendable for me, not even fair, indeed even insulting in reference to the material

Nordstedt in his introduction to his book acknowledged that M had invited him to prepare the work but not explicitly that M had subsidized it, although stating that it was undertaken 'with his help'. He then went on to say, 'The Australian specimens of which I have examined are for the most part badly preserved', before giving detailed instructions as to what needed to be collected and how the material should be preserved. No specimen collected by M was cited in the text but he is recorded as having communicated some of them.

and yet my unforgettable friend Alexander Braun could work with it quite well .

Braun in B81.13.12, pp .43-4 listed species he had previously described, many in Braun (1852a) from specimens collected by M or by Charles Stuart in Tasmania, probably transmitted by M, as well as some described in Braun (1843).

Consider I am not a private person and should always be supported in my official position by monographers.

Respectfully

Ferd. von Mueller

Can you pass on something in my name to Mr Holtz in Greifswald?