Ferdinand von Mueller

6/3/96.

Let me say in reply to your kind letter, just received, dear Mr McDonald, that in my opinion any Easter-tour, if our Council-Colleagues

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I.e. the Council of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (Victorian Branch).

and their friends can afford the expenditure, should be arranged in such a way, that we combine with the pleasure some efforts to add materially to the roll of our life-members and ordinary members. To follow up your excellent idea preliminarely , could we have a geographic picnic on Friday before Easter in Ballarat and an other, as we will be so near on Easter-Monday in Bendigo, it being previously arranged that Mines Proprietors and Holders of private Landed Estates will with their families join our picnics and then can be induced to join our branch of the Society. I had already disposed of the Easter-Holidays, but will rearrange my engagements for those days in favor of some such plan as you suggest if not merely we devote our selves to pleasure. Could we have amidst the pastoral estates a picnic also on Easter Saturday . Surely these three fêtes ought to bring us a lot of members, especially if we distribute copies of our more recent publications. Perhaps you can consult our Colleagues particularly the Hon Mr Sachse whether he would attend and ask his neighbours to do the same. I see no objection you writing to him to that effect, and you would then have the information for the subcommittee before them so far. Pray let them know, that the idea of this pleasure-trip did not arise with me, and some of us can ill afford the expenditure for it at present.

Do you intend to do anything about the communication from RGS of Belgium. Do you see any chance of getting here subscriptions for it. Would you kindly return Consul Beckx letters

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Letters not found.

when you have done with them, as I have not answered yet the last.

Of course the people of the Camperdown-District could bring and indeed would bring their refreshments in each carriage, just as it is spred out at the Races. The

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They?

would surely like an afternoon outing in an intellectual spirit and for the benefit of geography in which the young Gentlemen are so much interested and take it as a compliment from us.

As regards our grand meeting here towards the end of this month, let me say, that I am now in scanty spare hours elaborating the discourse for it.

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Not published.

When I have far proceeded with that, I will ascertain at the Vice regal Palace, what day his Excellency and her Ladyship can best be with us.

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See also M to A. Macdonald, 10 March 1896.

I will then at once inform you of Lord Brasseys choice of the day, and as our preparations will not be complicated, it being simply a solemn adress-meeting with likely remarks by the Governor thereon, you would not likely have difficulty to effect with your usual energy and practical circumspectness the necessities for the meeting in a very short time.

Can no members of the Council at all be persuaded to spare the half guinea for the Italian geographic Congress for which small contribution each one would get a copy of the publications, emanating from the congress at Rome. It would be nice, if you could announce at the grand meeting of this month

I could write to the German Assoc. in Ballarat and Bendigo, to give us some local aid, perhaps we shall have songs from them! Of course the two German Societies may have made already binding prearrangements for Easter.