Melbourne botanic Garden, 28. Oct.1863.
Dear Sir.
I beg to transmit herewith for your perusal a copy of a despatch and of accompanying enclosures, received by his Excellency the Governor from his Grace the Secretary of State for the colonies and bearing on the arrangements entered into for effecting the exchange of the Brucean and Abelian Meteorite on behalf of the British Museum.1
I have further to observe, that his Excellency desires me to ascertain, whether the authorities of the Melbourne Museum are prepared to give up the meteorite now in their possession on the condition of receiving that, which is to be sent to his Excellency.
By an early answer you will oblige, dear Sir, your very obedient
Ferd. Mueller.
Professor M'Coy &c &c &c
Director of the Melbourne Museum.2
See Lucas et al. (1994), p. 78, for a discussion of the despatch and arrangement for the Crown Agents to ship the smaller Abelian meteorite to the Governor, to be handed over in exchange for the larger Brucean one (Secretary of State for the Colonies to Governor Darling, 20 August 1863; National Archives, London, C0 411/8 p. 89; and Colonial Office to Crown Agents, 20 August 1863, National Archives, London, CO 411/7, pp 126-7).
M acknowledged the receipt of the documents in M to H. Warde, 29 October 1863.
MS annotation: 'report returned to Mining Dept 28.3.63'.
MS file also contains a memorandum from McCoy to Darling, 24 November 1862, which is possibly a response to M's letter and the enclosures:
'1st The donor of the Cranbourne Meteorite Mr Bruce presented half of it unconditionally to the Government Museum of Victoria, reserving the right for the British Museum to cut off half at their own expense if they thought proper, only stipulating that it should be brought down to Melbourne at the expense of the Museum & kept in safe custody.
2nd Subsequently Dr Müller applied to Mr Bruce for the meteorite for the British Museum and he (as he wrote to me) supposing that Dr Müller was acting with the knowledge & consent of the authorities of the Museum, agreed to let him have it, but subsequently in his letter to the Argus of 3rd December 1862 "confirmed his original unconditional gift of one half to the Melbourne Museum & reserving the right of the British Museum authorities to cut off half at their own expense."
3rd The late government appointed a Board with the Hon Dr Evans (who was acting Minister of Mines) as Chairman to report on the subject, & after ascertaining from the Director of the Magnetic Observatory (Prof. Neumayer) & the Director of the Geological Survey (Mr Selwyn) & other Scientific men that no scientific reasons existed in favor of the removal of this larger (as well as the smaller or Abel meteorite previously sent) meteorite to London, The Board reported that the Government should in their opinion
1st Retain the half of the Meteorite given to the Government Museum by Mr Bruce
2nd Should respect the right reserved by Mr Bruce for the Authorities of the British Museum to cut off half at their own expense.
3rd That the Victorian Government should reimburse the British Museum any money expended by them in consequence of authorised or unauthorised communications concerning the meteorite from any public servant in this country.
The sum of £100 was paid by the Government, and approved as a special item on the estimates of the present year for the carrying of the meteorite from Cranbourne to the National Museum in accordance with the original stipulation of Mr Bruce.'
MS annotation on McCoy's memorandum, possibly by Darling: 'The Report of the Board could not affect Mr Bruce's right to deal with his own Property | In the letter of 3 Decr - Mr Bruce distinctly says that it was afterwards agreed that it shd be left to the B. Museum to decide whether they shd purchase the Abel meteorite & give it for the other half of the Bruce Meteorite | Mr Bruce in his letter of 15 July [63] distinctly says that he finally acquiesced in the present arrangement wh the B. Museum was to give the Abel Meteorite for the half of the large Meteorite which was not already there'.
See also F. McCoy to M, 11 November 1863.
Please cite as “FVM-63-10-28,” 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