Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. MS is a file copy.

25/4/63

My dear Sir Henry Barkly

In reply to the query you did me the honour to address to me touching the proposition of removing the large meteorite to London I beg to state the exact position of the matter

Some years ago I applied to Mr Bruce

2

James Bruce.

through Mr Fitzgibbon and other of his friends for permission to place the specimen in our Victorian Museum and in January 1862 made a direct application by letter to him to the same effect to which he replied that he had originally purchased the specimen with the intention of sending it to the British Museum but that as he found the Govt had established a Public Museum in the Colony he presented one half to the Victorian Museum unconditionally and retained for the Brit. Mus. the right of claiming the other half. In his last letter pubd in the Argus of last Decr he states that he presented one half to the Colonial Museum "leaving to the British Museum the right of cutting off one half at their own expense" if the authorities of the Brit. Mus. thought proper.

3

See H. Barkly to M, 27 April 1863 , and H. Barkly to M, 27 May 1863 .

The onus being thus left with the Brit. Mus. of cutting the specimen a course which I am informed the Trustees think improper.

The Director of the Botanic Gardens having taken upon himself to present this meteorite to the home Museum without consulting the Victn Museum Department, or the Government, excited I am informed considerable public indignation and (without any action on my part) the matter was brought under the notice of the Government some nine months ago and the Hon. the Chief Sec. appointed a Board with a Cabinet Minister as Chairman to consider and report on the proposition for depriving the Colony of a valuable specimen and I as Director of the Museum received a letter directing that no steps shd be taken for its removal without the knowledge of the Government.

4

The chairman was George Evans; F. McCoy to G. Evans, 21 April 1863 (No. 63/70, outward letter book 2, Museum of Victoria, Melbourne) indicates that Evans had requested that McCoy 'should see that nothing was done in the matter until [Evans'] return from N. Zealand'.

The Board sat yesterday and further evidence is to be taken, but as Yr Excellency desires to inform the authorities of the Brit. Mus. of the state of the case by this Mail I may be permitted to state that the Govt inform me of their desire to retain the half of the Meteorite presented to them by Mr Bruce and to respect the right reserved for the British Mus. by that gentleman of cutting off half at their own expense if they saw no impropriety in it.

The principal Scientific Men of the Colony have written their opinion that the Specimen shd be retained here and Professor Neumeyer

5

Georg Neumayer.

the Government Magnetic Observer, whose observations on the specimen have been pubd by Haidinger

6

Haidinger (1862), Haidinger (1862a).

reports that its Magnetic character wd be totally changed by the voyage to the North. Hemisphere and it seems there are no scientific reasons why the specimen shd. be removed.