To Augustus Gregory   7 December 1857

Melbourne bot. Garden

7. Dec 1857

My dear Mr Gregory.

This afternoon your letter has been read to the Committee of the Institute and has finally persuaded them of the impracticability of the route along Capricorn.1 I had remonstrated before with them and embodied my ideas in a paper.2

Supported by one of the wisest men we have, the hon. Mr Hodgson M.L.C. and formerly Maire of the city, my plan has been adopted, to start from the Darling with a light party and packhorses only, as thus an other searching line for Leichhardt will be drawn, as the country altho' politically belonging to NSW will become of value to Victoria squatters for store-cattle & sheep, and as it will not be a direct and stupid interference with your own contemplated operations.3

Mr Blandowski is rather savage about the alteration. Dr Wilkie Dr M'Adam and myself form the select committee4

I sincerely hope that it will fall to your share to explore the country west of the Burdekin and I shall be delighted to report on any plants, which may fall into your hands.5

I intend to go at the end of the month to examine the plants of Cape Otway.6

With my best wishes for your welfare and my greatest respect

your

Ferd. Mueller

1
Gregory's letter of 25 November 1857 was read at a meeting of the Exploration Committee on 7 December 1857.
2
B58.05.03.
3
Augustus Gregory's Leichhardt Search Expedition, 1858. See Cumpston (1972).
4
This subcommittee produced a progress report for the Exploration Committee; B58.14.01.
5
B59.04.03.
6
See M to D. Moore, 17 December 1857.

Please cite as “FVM-57-12-07,” 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/57-12-07