To William Hooker1    23 July 1863

23/7/63

Dear Sir William

Mons. Bosieu2 de Maisonneuve, the Director of the bot. Garden of Bordeaux has asked me to send him for his monograph, specimens of my Isoetes of Tasmania. As I confided my collection of ferns & allied orders to your temporary care I am unable to respond to the request, but would beg of you to send a specimen of all my Rhizocarpeae to be forwarded to that Gentleman, who has with so much care studied the order and intends to give analytical drawings of all the species of Isoetes hitherto known.3

As you have always evinced so much interest in my welfare I would not like this opportunity to pass without informing you, that my former Sovereign, the King of Denmark, has raised me to the Knighthood of the Dan[n]ebrog Order, a honor which as an Officer of her Majestys Government I esteem the more high under the present auspicious relation of the Danish to the British Court.4 From 1840-1845 I explored botanically the S.W. part of the Dukedom of Schleswig.5

I trust the plants pr Great Britain, Anglesey, & Roxburgh Castle, arrived safe. I am just preparing a consignment pr Yorkshire and others shall rapidly follow.

Trusting that you are in enjoyment of perfect health and happiness

I remain,

dear Sir William,

your ever gratefully attached

Ferd. Mueller

Isoetes

Rhizocarpeae

 
1
MS annotation by Hooker: Note. Danish knighthood & Pteris from Rockhampton is Pt Litobr.) pedata. See M to W. Hooker, 14 May 1863.
2
Durieu de Maisonneuve?
3
Durieu de Maisonneuve (1864) acknowledged M's views and assistance, describing him as 'L'infatigable explorateur de l'Australie, le pourvoyer généreux des grandes établissements et de naturalistes d'Europe' (p. 104). This article does not contain analytic drawings, although Durieu de Maisonneuve 'présente à la Société des échantillons desséchés et des dessins coloriés de diverse espèces d'Isoetes' (p. 100) when he read his paper.
4
Edward, Prince of Wales, had married Princess Alexandra of Denmark on 10 March 1863 (DNB). M was not permitted to wear the insignia of the order: see notes to M to H. Barkly, 14 July 1863, and Lucas (2013a).
5
B53.08.01 and B53.08.02.

Please cite as “FVM-63-07-23a,” 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/63-07-23a