From Ferdinand von Mueller to John Macadam   29 Jan 1862

29/1/62.

My dear Dr Macadam.

I beg to enclose this letter1 with a request to learn whether Mr Dickson was instructed by you to write to me the byefollowing letter. I object not only to the uncourteous tone but also to the request itself, in as much as he refers to the transcripts of the Exploration journals, which were not ordered by the Exploration Committee to be returned from the Offices of the daily papers. I undertook by special desire of the Explor. Committee the transcription and returned the original journals, which are consequently available. If the latter had been taken to the journal offices it would be quite right to ask for their restoration, altho' I would not [even] individually be responsible for them, as the copies were not on my own idea but by order of the Chairman of the Expl Committee forwarded by myself to the newspapers Offices.

I cannot but think that you have been misinformed in the matter, as I can not anticipate that you would have found reason to depart from your usual urbanity in this instance

Believe me

dear Dr Macadam

to be

your very truly

Ferd. Mueller

R. Dickson to M, 28 January 1862.

MS black-edged; M's sister, Bertha Doughty, died on 7 September 1861.

Please cite as “FVM-62-01-29,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/62-01-29