To Nevil Maskelyne   25 April 1864

Melbourne bot. Garden

25./4/64

Private

 

My dear Professor.

Since writing to you by last mail the transactions, connected with the proposed exchange of the meteorites has advanced an other stage forward.1 His Excellency Sir Ch. Darling has transmitted all documents connected with these transactions recently to the Ministerial Cabinet, disapproving of the reasons on which the Meteorite was retained, as set forth by the Meteorite Board

The Chief Secretary submitted the papers to me and thus I had for the first time an opportunity of reading the report of the Meteorite Board. After correcting a series of errors contained in this document, which could have been avoided, had I been allowed to tender my evidence, I recommended that Prof M'Coy should show cause, why the pledge made by himself should not be redeemed, that unless satisfactory reasons by him were given for the withholding of the Meteorite; the Government should arrange through one of the Engineer Officers of the state the earliest possible transmission & charge the transit expenses to the Home Government. I mentioned however that it would be for the consideration of this Government, whether not the sum of £100 incurred by the transit of the specimen from Cranbourne to Melbourne should be relinquished. On a former occasion when members of the Meteorite Board mentioned that this claim was to be liquidated, I offered my cheque for the purpose & shall certainly defray that & the other transit & insurance expenses if thereby the last difficulties can be removed. As soon as I hear of any final decision of Government, you will be informed privately by myself, whilst of course his Excellency will communicate with the Duke of Newcastle. If I am rightly informed, the principle Secretary of our Government is of opinion, that we have no claims on Mr Bruce's specimen.

Pray excuse the hurried wording of this note & believe me that nothing shall be neglected by me to protect conscientiously the claims of the British Museum

Cordially yours

Ferd. Mueller

1
See Lucas et al. (1994). For copies of correspondence and reports concerning the dispute over ownership of the meteorite, see Bundle 10, no. 12, unit 11, VPRS 1095 special files, VA 466 Governor of Victoria, Public Record Office, Victoria.

Please cite as “FVM-64-04-25,” 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 23 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/64-04-25