To James McCulloch   8 December 1863

Melbourne botanic Garden

8/12/63.

Sir

I have the honor to inform you, that I have this day received from Mr Lovell Reeve of London thirty (30) copies of the first volume of the work on Australian plants, which Mr G. Bentham under my assistance has published1 and for which a subsidy of £100.- .- was granted by the Victorian Government. These volumes are offered by Mr Bentham as an acknowledgement of the support, which this publication enjoyed from our Government.

Whilst awaiting your instructions, how to dispose of these copies I beg leave to bring under your notice, that several Gentlemen have been2 gratuitously contributed material towards the work, which is preserved in our botanical Museum and that it appears to me deserving your consideration, whether as an acknowledgement and as an encouragement these contributors should not receive a copy of the work; I beg to subjoin their names and also those of a few others interested in science, to whom I would recommend the volume to be presented:

His Excellency Sir Charles Darling, K.C.B.

His Excellency Sir Henry Barkly, K.C.B.

the honorable Geo. Verdon Esq

R. Wadsworth Esq.

the honorable W. Haines Esq.

W. Archer Esq.

W. Woolls Esq. Paramatta (contributor)

Mr C. Stuart, Tenterfield (contributor)

Mr E. Bowman, Rockhampton (contr.)

Mr G. Maxwell, Albany (contr.)

Mr J. Nernst, Port Denison (contr)

Mr E. Fitzalan, Edgecombe Bay (contr)

Mr J. Dallachy, Burdekin (collector)

Dr F Mueller

Miss L. Atkinson, Fernhurst (contributor)

Dr Martin, Champion Bay (contributor)

F. Krichauff Esq., Macclesfield (contributor)

Mr P. Walcott W. Austr. (contributor)

I would also request your permission to forward a copy of the work to the public Library, the parliamentary Library, the Royal Society, the University, the Medical Society, the pharmaceutical Society and the Library of the German Association of Melbourne, and to retain one copy for my Office.

Two copies herewith sent I beg to offer to the honorable the Chief Secretary and the Undersecretary.

I have the honor to be,

Sir,

your most obedient servant

Ferd. Mueller.

 

The honorable the Chief Secretary

&c &c &3

1
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 1.
2
M evidently began writing 'been contributing', then changed his mind but forgot to delete 'been'.
3
On 9 December 1863 the Under Secretary, J. Moore, minuted: 'Distribution approved — Thank Dr Mueller for Copies presented to Chief Secretary and myself'.

Please cite as “FVM-63-12-08,” 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 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/63-12-08