Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter filed with one of M's calling cards and a three-page printed document, the text of which is given below, that appears to have been sent as an enclosure with this letter.

Melbourne 23/4/93

To the Right Honorable Lord Kelvin, D.C.L., L.L.D., P.R.S. &c &c

2

MS annotation: 'Officers'.

May I approach your Lordship on a subject entirely in the interests of science, of which you as the present occupant of what once was Sir Isaac Newtons chair,

3

i.e. the presidency of the Royal Society of London.

are the renowned leader in the British Empire. The favor, sought by me, is one, which I never asked for during the 30 years of high privilege of belonging to the R S.

Would your Lordship then take with your honored Councillors into Consideration for reward from the science-throne of Britain, the high claims of the renowned Physicist, the Geheim-Rath Prof Dr Knoblauch, the present President of the Acad. Caes. Leop. Carol. Nat. Curioso[r.]

4

Academia Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Naturae Curiosorum.

in Halle. It is purposeless to enlarge on the merits of this great man and on his elevated Position as representative of a Society almost as aged as the R.S.

Could you honor this great Investigator by some distinction either on the foreign list or as the Recipient of a medal, when the next opportunity arises? Prof Knoblauch is long beyond the zenith of life, so that perhaps divine providence has not destined him to continue long his earthly career, and thus to enjoy long the tokens of appreciations, yet to be bestowed on him.

5

Knoblauch was neither elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society nor awarded one of the Society's medals. See also M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 25 October 1892.

It is too late now to offer your Lordship my felicitation directly in being raised by our gracious Sovereign to the Peerage.

6

William Thomson was raised to the peerage as Baron Kelvin of Largs in the New Year's honours list of January 1892.

But may I say, that when as Past-President of the Austral Assoc. for Advancem. of Science, I had to instal his Excellency Sir Rob. Hamilton, LLD., the late Governor of Tasmania, to the Presidency,

7

James Hector, the retiring President of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, was ill and unable to attend the Association's meeting in Hobart in 1892. M therefore chaired the meeting of the General Council on 5 January, and installed Sir Robert Hamilton that evening as the new President. M's speech on this occasion was not published in the official report of the meeting.

I alluded gratulatorily in my speech, to the event, then just telegraphed, that so worthy a tribute had been made by the Crown of Britain as to confer on your Lordship for the incalculable science-services rendered the dignity of hereditary Nobility!

Gladly do I share in the movements in memory of my late friend Sir Rich. Owen and in homage to Sir John Lawes and Prof Gilbert

8

The text that follows is that of the printed document referred to in n. 1. Above the heading, M has written 'Usui tantum privato' [For private use only]. The following further memberships etc have been added in M's hand: 'Acad. Americ. art et scienc. membr. extran. Acad. Reg. Suec. scient. membr. extran., Acad. Internation geograph. botanic Director (Le Mans),. Soc. Pharm. Grandi-Brit. membr. epistol. Colleg. Veterin. [Melbr.] Examinator honorarius; Soc. zool. et acclim. Colon. Vict. membr. hon., Instit Geometrar. Col. Vict. [member.] Clypeol. auer. Mus. Florentini, Clypeol. Clark Soc. reg. Novae Austro-Cambriae. Clypeol. [ant] auer. Soc. [na]tional.] Galli Acclimat. praeditus. [Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Foreign scientific member of the Royal Academy of Sweden; Director of the International Academy of Botanical Geography (Le Mans); Corresponding Member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain; Honorary examiner, Melbourne Veterinary College; Honorary Member, Zoological and Acclimatization Society of Victoria; Member of the Victorian Institute of Surveyors; Awarded the Gold Medal of the Museum of Florence, the Clark Medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales, and the Gold Medal of the French National Acclimatisation Society.]

No translation of the printed text is provided; all the items listed appear in the file ‘ Honours, awards and memberships’ in this edition.

LIBER BARO FERDINANDUS DE MUELLER,

M.D., LL.D., PH.D., Ord. Reg. Grandi-Brit. Sanctor. Mich. et Georg. Equiti-Praefectus, Grandi Cruce Ordin. Christ. Lusit. ornatus, Ord. Reg. Lusit. a St. Jac. Ord. Reg. Hispan. Isabell. Ord. Grandi-Ducal. Hassiac. Philippi Praefectus, Ord. Reg. Lucilob. Batav. Coron. querc. et Ord. Reg. Coron. Ital. Subpraef. Ord. Imperial. Austr. Franc. Joseph. Ordin. Reg. Suec. Stell. polaris, Ord. Reg. Bavar. St. Michael. Ord. Reg Danic. Dannebr. Ord. Gallic Legion. Honor. et illus pro Agricult. meritis, Ord. Reg. Ital. St. Maur. et Lazar. Ord. Reg. Boruss. Aquil. rubr. Ord. Reg. Cor. Bor. atque Reg. Cor. Wuerttemb. Ord. Grandi-Ducal. Megap. Venedor. Ord. Grandi-ducal. Oldenburgic. pro meritis, Ord. Magn. Duc. Vimar. a Falc. sicut. Ord. Ducal. Gothaic. Dom. Ernest. et Ord. Reg. Hawaian. Kalakauae Eques; Clipeol. Soc. Reg. Londin. et illo Magn. Ducal. Megapol. pro. Art. et Scient. praedit. Gubern. Colon. Vict. Phytologus, Mus. Bot. Melb. Director; Soc. Reg. Geogr. Austral. pro colon. Vict. Praeses, Soc. Studiosor. Agricultur. et Union. German. gymnastic. Melb. Praeses honor. Assoc. Australian. promov. scient. sicut Union. cant. tabul. Melb. Pro-praeses et illius 1890 Praeses, Union. Scrutat. Nature. excursor. Victoriae, Assoc. Presbyter. Litterar. Melbournens. et Pharmac. Adjunctor. hinc Patronus; Societatum Regiae sicut Linnean. porro Reg. Geogr. sicut Chemic. atque Geolog. Londin. Membr. Acad. Reg. Danic. Sodal. extraneus, Acad. Imp. Carol. Leop. Nat. Cur. tunc Reg. Monacens. et Upsaliens. Soc. Reg. Archaeol. Hafniens. Soc. Philos. Brit. sicut Inst. Reg. Colonial. Londin. Soc. Chemic. American. Assoc. Brit. Medical. Sect. Vict. Membrum. ordinarium; Acad. internation. pro Geogr. Botan. Membr. titular. fundator. Musei pro Cognit. Gentium Lips. Membr. protectorium, Soc. Imp. Ross. Nat. Scrut. Soc. Francogall. Acclimat. Societ. Artium Londin. Union. pro. Scient. natur. Brunsvigens. Soc. physico-oeconmic. Regiomont. Soc. Reg. Bot. Ratisbon. sicut. Germanic. Thuringiac. Edinens. Canad. et Hamburgens. Soc. Agric. et Acclim. Sicul.

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Sicut.?

Soc. Botan. et Horticult. Dresdens. Soc. Agric. et Hortic. Indic. Soc. Hist. natur. Austral. occident. Soc. Historic. Texanae, Acad. Scient. Californic. Soc. Batav. Horticult. et Botan. Amstelodamens. Soc. Pollich. Palatinat. Soc. Thuringiac. Scient. Natur. Altenburgens. Soc. Helv. Geogr. Commerc. urbis St. Gallen. aeque ac Geogr. urbis Neufchatel. Soc. Zool. Coloniens atque Rotterdamens. Soc. Investig. Nat. Hercyn. sicut Hamburg. Acad. Athenaean. Brixian. Acad. Scient. Novo-Eboracens. Soc. Hist. Nat. Megapol. atque Hannoveran. Soc. internation. litter. scient et art. Londin. Soc. Climatol. Algeriens. Union Isidis Dresdens. Soc. Acclimat. et Hist. Nat. Borbonic. Soc. Scient. natural. Gorliciens. Soc. Medicor. Colon. Vict. sicut ejus Veterinar. ibidem Soc. Pharmac. aeque ac German. Melb. nec non Dominarum Melbourn. in Unione Salon, porro hinc Unionis Concordiae. tunc Inst. Nov. Zeland. Soc. Reg. Vict. et Reg. Neo-Cambric. Reg. Austro-Austral. et Reg. Tasmanic. Societatum pro Horticult. Imper. Vindob. Reg. Bruxellens. ejusdem Londin. Reg. Colon. Vict. aeque ac Californic. porro Soc. Reg Agric. et Hortic. Gandav. sicut Goeteborgens. nec non Tasmanic. et Adelaidens. porro ad meliorat. Hortic. Melbourn. Soc. Acclimat. Nov. Zeland. Assoc. Viticultur. Victor. Soc. Scient. Ballaratens auqua ac Inst. Fodinarum Stawellens. Union. Scrut. Natur. Bremens. Soc. Siles. pro. Cult. patr. Union. Apothec. Austriac. Union. pro Cognit. Nat. Wuerttembergens. Reg. Geogr. Ital. Geographic. Gallicae sicut Mexican. ejus Olyssip. et Halens. Soc. Geog. et Historic Sanct. Salvator. Soc. Rural Civit. Argentin. Instit. Penolens. Agricult. Ballarat. Linnean. Austro-Cambr. Soc. Amic. Natur. Berolinens. et illius Moscovens. Colleg. pro exam. med. in Universit. Melb. Membr. honorarium. Inst. lib. Moeno-Francof. Consiliarius; Soc. Zool. Lond. Collegior. Mus. Hist. Nat. tam Paris. quam Madrit. Inst. Imp. Austriac. Geologic. Academiar. Reg. Goetting. Soc. Rossic. Acclimat. Zool. et Bot. Viennens. Botan. Hafniens. Geopraph. Berol. sicut Scotic. atque Dresdens. et Darmstadiens. Soc. Imper. Hortic. Petropolit. Soc. Physico-Medic. Erlangens. Soc Reg. Art. et Scient. Mauritian. Soc. Scrut. Nat. Halens. aeque ac Bremens. et Cherbourgens. Soc. Hortic. et Hist. Nat. Monspessulan. Soc. Physiogr. Lundens. Soc. Physiocrit. Sienens. Soc. Geolog. Edinens. Union Scient. Natur. Dantiscan. Soc. Reg. Botan. Londin. atque Edinens. Soc. Belg. Micrograph. Acad. Scient. Novo-Aurelian. Soc. Anthropol. Berolin. Inst. Conimbric. Union. Reg. Indo-Batav. Cogn. Natur. Soc. Hist. Nat. Bostonens. sicut Mexican. Soc. Pharmac. Grandi-Britanic. Soc. terr. reginal. Union Horticult. in Civit. Boruss. Acad. Scient. Natur. Philadelp. Soc. Acclim. Anim. Plantarumque insul. Maurit. Soc. Promot. Stud. Nat. Marburgens. Soc. Agricult. Algeriens. Soc. Philos. Urbis Charterstower, Soc. Physic. et Nat. Caracesens. ataque Hort. Civit. Calif. Sodalis per Litteras conjunctus.

Die 30 Junii 1892.