To John O'Shanassy1    15 January 1859

Melbourne Bot. & Zoolog Garden,

15th Jany 1859

Sir —

By desire of the Committee of the Zoological Garden I have the honor to transmit to you a copy of a letter forwarded by the Hon. the Colon. Secretary of the Cape Colony to Dr. Embling,2 referring to the introduction of animals from South Africa which letter the Committee begs leave to recommend to your favorable consideration. —

I have &c.

(Signed) Fred. Mueller

Hon Secy to the Zool. Garden Committee

 

The Hon.

The Chief Secretary,

&c.   &c.

1
For a published version of this letter see B59.01.01.
2
The Colonial Secretary, Cape Town, R. Rawson, wrote to T. Embling on 10 November 1858: 'Your letter of the 23rd June reached me on the 4th instant. I am happy to have an early and favorable opportunity for replying to it by the steamer Prince Alfred, which will leave Table Bay for Melbourne to-morrow. I have submitted your letter to the Governor Sir George Gray, who has desired me to inform you that he will feel a great interest in promoting the object which you have in view. His Excellency has a certain number of the animals of South Africa living domesticated in his gardens, and he is willing to present to the Government of Victoria, or to any public inhabitants of that colony, specimens of those which he possesses, and to do his best to procure specimens of others, upon the expenses of transport and shipping being paid, and arrangements being made for their reception and kind treatment on arrival. | His Excellency is of opinion, being well acquainted with the Australian continent, that the animals best adapted to it are as follows:— The Ostrich, Eland[,] Koodoo, Guagga, Bontebok, The Belsbok, Wildebeest (or Gnoo), Rheebok, Dwyker. The Eland and Koodoo are not easily to be procured, but His Excellency believes that it will be in his power to procure them, and that the expense would not be considerable. His Excellency would propose, in the first instance, to send one or two pairs. He would send them by vessels despatched from, or touching at, Table Bay, and he imagines that the freight and nourishment on board would not be very costly. You will probably be able to procure better information at Melbourne upon this point than here. I have not time before the mail closes to make such enquiries here, but I will do so later, and communicate the result to you. The other expenses on this side would not be great. You may be assured of the warm personal interest of His Excellency Sir George Grey in forwarding the object you have in view, and I shall have pleasure in doing my best to co-operate with His Excellency.'

Please cite as “FVM-59-01-15a,” 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 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/59-01-15a