May 7 [186]21
Sir
In reply to yours of the 6th Inst.2 I have the honor to state that it is the wish of the Council that you would kindly purchase the carp from the Steward of the "Lincolnshire"3
An official letter has been sent to Capt Charleton4 and I have also placed his name prominently in the notice sent to the "Argus".5 The lobsters and crabs I may mention died within half an hour of being placed on board and were sent ashore again at Gravesend.
Is Mr Rogers6 prepared to prove that either Mr Bignoll or Mr Rennison7 or any gentleman whose name he can give have been a second time to the island.8 I have commented upon it in the "Argus" but the Council did not like to mention names without an assurance as to these facts.9
Mr Sumner says he spoke to Mr Bignoll who expressed his sorrow at having ignorantly done such mischief and therefore he can hardly imagine he has again been there.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your most Obedt Servant
Geo Sprigg
Secretary
To Ferdinand Mueller Esq. M.D.
&c &c &c
editorial addition.
Letter not found.
This decision was made a meeting 6 May 1862 (Unit 1, p. 175, VPRS 2223, Public Record Office, Victoria). Lincolnshire, under Captain E. Charleton, arrived from London on 26 April 1862; see Argus, 28 April 1862, p. 4.
Sprigg wrote to Charleton on 7 May 1862 on behalf of the Council of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria, thanking him for his services 'in bringing out the fish by the "Lincolnshire" also for your courtesy in offering to convey the kangaroo hounds and magpies to London' (No. 62/317, unit 1, p. 94, VPRS 2225, Public Record Office, Victoria).
See report of the meeting on 6 May in Argus, 8 May 1862, pp. 4-5.
The lessee of the island, who had reared the birds.
Neither person has been identified.
The earlier episode was reported to the Council of the Society at its meeting of 2 April 1862 (Argus, 4 April 1862, p. 4).
M had reported by letter (not found) to the Council meeting held on 6 May 1862, 'on the authority of Mr Rogers that the parties who so lately visited Sandstone Island [Western Port, Vic] had again been there and destroyed a number of the partridge quail', and 'the secretary was instructed to take some notice of it in the "Argus"' (Unit 1, p. 175, VPRS 2223, Public Record Office, Victoria). The issue is mentioned in the report of the meeting (see n. 5), without mentioning the names of the suspects. See also 'The enemies of acclimatisation', a letter to the editor from 'Canary', Argus, 14 May 1862, p. 5.
Please cite as “FVM-62-05-07,” 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