The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ For acceptance as a foreign Member of the physical Class of the Royal Danish Academy of the Sciences, we should like to propose Dr. Phil et med., Baron Ferdinand v. Müller in Melbourne. ¶ ¶ Born i...

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Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters Prot. Nr. 590 1890. M90.02.11

Preferred Citation:

Johan Lange and Eugenius Warming to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 1890-02-11 [M90.02.11]. 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//letters/mentions/selected/M90-02-11-final.odt>, accessed June 10, 2026

MS is annotated 'K.D.V.S. 11/4 90 Nr 553i' and stamped 'K.D.V.S. Prot. Nr. 549 1890'.

Til Optagelse som udenlandsk Medlem af det kgl. Videnskabernes Selskabs physiske Klasse tillader vi os at foreslaa Dr.phil. et med., Baron Ferdinand v. Müller i Melbourne.

Født i den tysktalende Del af Sydslesvig og altsaa oprindelig vor Landsmand gik han tidlig i engelsk Tjeneste og blev af den engelske Regering sendt til Nyholland, først som Direktør for den botaniske Have i Melbourne, senere som britisk Gouvernements-Botaniker i Australien med Bopæl i Melbourne, for hvis geografiske Selskab han tillige er præsident.

Müller har virket særdeles meget for Australiens og særlig Nyhollands geografiske og botaniske Undersøgelse, og som Frugt af egne og andres Undersøgelsesrejser kan nævnes en Række videnskabelige Skrifter af større og mindre Omfang, blandt hvilke her kan fremhæves følgende:

Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ. 11 Bind. 1858-77.

Plants indigenous to the colony of Victoria. 1-2. 1860-64 med mange Afbildninger. I Forening med den afdøde G. Bentham har han desuden udgivet en samlet Flora Australiensis.

The vegetation of the Chatham islands. 1864.

Eucalyptographia, Decas 1-10 med talrige Afbildninger. Dette Værk, der omhandler den til Myrtefamilien hørende, for Nyholland karakteristiske Slægt Eucalyptus har foruden dets videnskabelige betydning tillige en særlig interesse derved, at Slægten indeholder nogle af Verdens højeste Træer, som have en stor økonomisk Anvendelse.

Af de rige botaniske Skatte, der have staaet ham til Raadighed, har han med stor Liberalitet uddelt Samlinger til de fleste europæiske Museer, og at han ved disse Gaver ikke har glemt Danmark, derom kan vort botaniske Museum afgive Vidnesbyrd. Han har overhovedet i forskjellige Retninger vist en utrættelig Virksomhed for at yde Bidrag til Videnskabernes Fremme, og vi tro derfor, at han er vel fortjent til den Anerkjendelse, som vi herved foreslaa det kgl. Videnskabernes Selskab at yde ham.

København d. 11 Februar 1890

Joh. Lange Eug. Warming.

For acceptance as a foreign Member of the physical Class of the Royal Danish Academy of the Sciences, we should like to propose Dr. Phil et med., Baron Ferdinand v. Müller in Melbourne.

Born in the German-speaking part of Southern Schleswig

M was born in Rostock, in Mecklenburg, Germany; he was ten years old when, following the death of his father, his mother took him and his three sisters to live with her family in Tönning, in southern Schleswig, then a part of Denmark.

and thereby originally a compatriot, he entered into the English civil service early on and was sent to New Holland by the English Government, first as a Director of the botanical Gardens in Melbourne, later as the British Government Botanist in Australia, residing in Melbourne,

M was never a member of the English civil service, was not sent by the British Government to Australia. and was never 'British Government Botanist in Australia'. He went to Australia in 1847 as a private citizen; he was appointed Government Botanist of Victoria (never Australia) in 1853 on the initiative of the colony's Lieutenant-Governor, C. J. La Trobe, without any involvement of the British Government beyond its subsequently endorsing La Trobe's action; and he did not become Director of Melbourne's botanic garden until 1857.

of whose Geographical Society he is also the president.

Müller has worked a great deal on the geographical and botanical Investigation of Australia and in particular New Holland, and as the outcome of his own and others' investigative journeys can be mentioned a number of larger and smaller scientific works, among which the following can be emphasised:

Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ. 11 volumes. 1858-77.

Plants indigenous to the colony of Victoria. Volumes 1-2. 1860-64 with many Images.

Furthermore, in collaboration with the late G. Bentham he has published the collected Flora Australiensis.

Bentham (1863-78).

The vegetation of the Chatham islands. 1864.

B64.10.02.

Eucalyptographia, Decades 1-10 with numerous Images. This piece of work, which concerns the characteristic to New Holland genus Eucalyptus, belonging to the Myrtle family, is in addition to its scientific value also of particular interest in that the genus contains some of the world’s tallest trees, which can have great economic use.

From the rich botanical treasures that he had at hand, he has generously distributed collections to most European museums, and that he in those gifts has not forgotten Denmark can be attested to by our botanical museum. He has generally, in multiple areas, demonstrated a tireless effort to make contributions to further the sciences, and we therefore believe that he is deserving of the recognition that we hereby propose that the Royal Danish Academy of the Sciences bestows upon him.

The file shows that M was elected a Foreign Member of the Academy on 11 April 1890; see also M to H. Zeuthen, 3 June 1890 (in this edition as 90-06-03b).

Copenhagen, 11 February 1890

Joh. Lange Eug. Warming.