To William Hooker   10 August 1858

Melbourne bot Garden,

10. Aug. 1858.

My much beloved & venerable Sir William.

It gives me particular pleasure to introduce to you the hon. Capt. Clarke, in whom we are now about to loose one of our greatest promoters of science.

Capt. Clarke took always so warm an interest in my humble labours & gave me such kind assistance in his position of Surveyor General during my travels, that I feel sure you will alone for this reason be delighted to become personally acquainted with our excellent friend.

I trust Australia will not loose permanently a gentleman of so patriotic feeling & also rare ability, but we rather hope, that his talents will find a more extended field hereafter and that we may welcome him one day again on our shores as ruler of one of the Australian Colonies.1

With the sincerest wish[es]2 for your welfare,

I remain

my dear Sir William,

your very humble

Ferd. Mueller.

Andrew Clarke did not return to Australia as a Governor, although he was Governor of the Straits Settlements.
editorial addition— obscured by binding.

Please cite as “FVM-58-08-10,” 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 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/58-08-10