To the Duke of Newcastle   17 January 1860

Melbourne botanic and zoologic Garden.

17. January 1860.

My Lord Duke.

Altho' I had the honor of expressing through the illustrious Patron of the Royal Society of Victoria1 my official thanks for the friendly attention, which your Grace was pleased to devote to the solicitation of the philosophical Institute, to assume the title of the Royal Society of Victoria, I have also ventured to adress your Grace directly by permission of his Excellency our Governor, feeling as President of the Royal society of Victoria, that the honor conferred on us on this occasion is one, which entitles your Grace, through whose generous mediation we received it from our most gracious Sovereign, to my special and certainly deeply felt gratitude.2

May your Grace permit me to express at the same time the sense of veneration, which as an officer of the North Australian Exploring Expedition I ever entertained toward you, for the lively interest evinced by you in geographical research even at a time, when oppressed with the most arduous duties of the then most onerous office of the British Empire, your Grace thoughtfully despatched Mr Gregory on his peaceful conquest.

These feelings prompted me in the very humble sphere of my action, to choose at the very spot, where our further progress into Central Australia was arrested, a lovely and only there occurring plant, to bear as a lasting geographic monument the name of your Grace.

With his well known generosity, the venerable Sir William Hooker gave to the discovery of the Newcastlia cladotricha the earliest publicity; and I trust your Grace will condescend to accept this token of my sincere admiration as the best I can offer, and will not be displeased on seeing this plant selected as the first for illustrating the fragmenta phytographiae Australiae,3 a work, which I trust, — si fata velint,4 — will extend to a long succession of volumes by the confirmed gracious support of the Government to my future labours and those of my successors.

I have the honor to remain,

my Lord Duke,

your very obedient

Ferd. Mueller

 

His Grace the most Noble

the Duke of Newcastle, K.G.

&c &c &c5

 

Newcastlia cladotricha

1
Sir Henry Barkly was patron of the Royal Society of Victoria. See M to H. Barkly, 17 January 1860.
2
For details of the announcement see H. Barkly to M, 13 January 1860.
3
B59.11.01, tab. 1.
4
if the fates are willing.
5
M's letter was forwarded with Barkly's despatches. It carries two annotations: 'Dr. Mueller is a man of high character as a Botanist. He asks for nothing but mentions having named a newly discovered plant after the Duke of Newcastle as a proof of gratitude', and 'The letter begins by thanking for the title conferred on the Royal Society. The Duke of Newcastle will determine whether it may be put by or whether His Grace would desire to take any notice of the part about the new plant.' The Duke minuted: 'Write through the Governor and express my gratification at having been the means of assisting in any degree (however small) the cause of Science in Australia and thanking Dr. M for his letter.' Despatch 24 to H. Barkly, 19 April 1860, expresses the content of Newcastle's minute (National Archives, London, CO 309/53, Victoria, original correspondence, offices and individuals, vol. 3, 1860, 3839 Victoria, f. 486).

Please cite as “FVM-60-01-17,” 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/60-01-17