To Augustus Gregory1    30 November 1857

Melbourne bot Garden

30 Nov. 1857

My dear Mr Gregory.

I attended to day for the first time at the Exploration Committee of the philosoph Institute, principly to urge the necessity of altering the proposed line of the Victorian expedition2 not to start from Port Curtis but from the Darling, as pr steamer every thing can be brought up nearly to Mount Murchison for about £9 pr ton, as there would be another line of search for Dr Leichhardt and as beyond Mt Murchison at once the discoveries would commence, and principly that not the two expeditions should proceed at the same time, for at least partially the same purpose and in the same direction.3 They have however decided on sending three years provision and a large quantum of stock to the junction of the Thompson River with the Victoria and on your answer it will chiefly depend, wheather they will decide on the line of Port Curtis for conveyance, as Mr Blandowski proposed, or wheather my proposition of going from the Darling to that place will be carried out.4

— As far as I know Mr Bl. is not at all conversant with the use of astronomical Instruments, and I really believe that he never would have come forward, had his party for collecting zoological specimens not been broke up by government for reasons which the enclosed article of fact & figures will show.5

However I have very little doubt, that many thousand pounds will be voted by the Council for the proposed exploration, both Council & Government being afraid to throw cold water on subjects of that class, which become so easily popular.

I shall gladly let you know what they are doing hereafter.

A paper on exploration, embodying also your excellent remarks, has been read,6 and I hope to have done you full justice in it. Capt Clarke7 will propose you as an honorary member of our Institute.8

I sincerely hope, that you will succeed in finding a clue of Leichhardts fate and will explore Central Australia at the same time.9 These achievements no one is more entitled to than yourself.

With my sincere wishes for your welfare

I remain dear Sir,

your obedient

Ferd Mueller.

 

I will send you the transactions with my (in hurry compiled) paper as soon as out.

1

MS envelope front: 'A. C. Gregory Esq. | Commander of the North Australian Expedition | 66 Macquarie Street | Sydney | Ferd. Mueller'. Front annotated, probably by Gregory: 'Dr Mueller's | 30 Nov. 1857 | Also one of [Dec]'.

See also A. Gregory to M, 25 November 1857.

2
Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition, 1860-1.
3
Augustus Gregory's Leichhardt Search Expedition, 1858. See Cumpston (1972).
4
On 30 November the Exploration Committee of the Philosophical Institute met to discuss the starting point of the proposed expedition. M was in favour of the Darling River with the subsequent route being towards the junction of the Thomson River and the Victoria (now Cooper Creek). Blandowski and Wilkie proposed the junction as the starting point with the route to this point being from Port Curtis on the eastern coast. Hodgson suggested that the decision be postponed until a letter expected from Gregory had been received. The Committee agreed. At the next meeting, 7 December, Gregory's letter was read and Blandowski and M took leading parts in the discussion of it. Hodgson moved and it was agreed that a flying party be organised to explore the country from the Darling to the junction of the Victoria and Thomson Rivers (Box 2075/1a, Royal Society of Victoria Exploration Committee Records, Australian Manuscripts Collection, La Trobe Library, Melbourne).
5
W. Archer (1857). See also Paszkowski (1967).
6
See B58.13.04. The paper was read at the meeting of 25 November 1857.
7
Andrew Clarke.
8
Gregory was elected an honorary member of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria at an ordinary meeting, 14 April 1858. See Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria (1859) p. vi.
9
See Cumpston (1972) pp. 67-73.

Please cite as “FVM-57-11-30,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/57-11-30