August1
Sir.
Herewith I have the honor to hand you a sketch of the pigeon which you kindly promised to send Mr J. B. Stair of Broadmeadows.2 As this is the only copy left here the Council will request that Mr Stair return it at his convenience.3
I would also venture to request that you will inform me of the name of the British Consul at Suez so that I may write to him about the Angora goats, as proposed by yourself.4
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your most Obedt Servant
Geo Sprigg
Secretary
To Ferdinand Mueller Esqr .M.D. Ph.D. FR.S.
Government Botanist
&c &c &c
In the letter-copy book, the day and year have faded and become illegible, but the letters before and after this one are dated 6 August 1862; this letter is therefore dated likewise.
At a Council meeting of the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria held on 5 August 1862, 'A letter was read from The Revd J. B. Stair of Broadmeadows addressed to the Vice President concerning the pigeon of which a sketch had been sent by His Excellency. Dr Mueller was requested to reply and to forward to Mr Stair one of the copies which have been made of this bird.' (Unit 1, p. 224, VPRS 2223, Public Record Office, Victoria). The sketch furnished by Governor Barkly 'of the pigeon that is supposed to be an inhabitant of the Navigator Islands' — the name given by Bougainville to the Samoan archipelago and used by missionaries until he late 19th century — had been laid before the Council meeting held on 29 July (Argus, 31 July 1862, p. 4).
At a Council meeting on 12 August 1862, 'Letters were laid before the Council by the Vice President which he had received from the Revd J. B. Stair, clergyman at Broadmeadows concerning the pigeon from the Navigator Islands of which enquiries are being made by His Excellency Sir Henry Barkly. Mr Stair who resided on these islands for many years at once recognied the sketh furnished by the Zoological Society of London as a drawing of the "Manu Mea" or red bird of Samoa. Mr Stair states that these birds are very scarce and pointed out the best way in his opinion to procure them — copies of which the Secretary was requested to send Mr Williams and inform him that the Society would be happy to defray any expense he might be put to in procuring the bird.' (Unit 1, p. 227, VPRS 2223, Public Record Office, Victoria). 'Mr Williams' is probably John C. Williams, long-term British Consul in Samoa from 1858 (Watson (1918), p. 33).
The Consul at Suez was George West (Index to Civil and Diplomatic Services, England, Thom's Irish Almanac, 1862, p. 155).
Please cite as “FVM-62-08-06,” 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