To Henry C. Manners-Sutton   21 August 1866

Melbourne botanic Garden,

21/8/66

Sir

In expressing to his Excellency my obligation for the friendly note you kindly sent me this day1 I avail myself of the opportunity to ask permission for attaching the name of the Earl of Carnarvon, the Minister for the Colonies, and that of the Governor to some noble trees of Australia, in order that also in the vegetable empire by a permanent monument his Lordships and his Excellencys influence on the rising prosperity of Australia may be recorded.2

The same concession was gracefully accorded to me by his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, by the Right Honorable Mr Labouchere, by Sir Edw. Bulwer Lytton, and by the Right Honorable Mr Cardwell, as also by his Excellency's viceregal predecessors in this part of her Majesty's territory.3

I have the honor to be,

Sir,

your most obedient

Ferd. Mueller, M.D., F.R.S.

 

The honorable H. C. Manners-Sutton,

Private Secretary to his Excellency the Governor of Victoria &c &c &c

Letter not found. In his despatch of 26 September 1866 (National Archives, London, CO 309/80, ff. 8-11), the Governor, Sir Henry Manners-Sutton, reported the contents of this letter to the Colonial Office, adding 'Dr Mueller has requested me to transmit to your Lordship a complete set of his works, according to the list, which is enclosed'. The volumes listed (f. 11) were B62.03.03 and B62.05.06; four volumes of Fragmenta phytographiae australiae; B64.13.04 and B64.10.02. There are several minutes on the despatch, noting that the volumes had not been received with the despatch on 9 November, and a note to 'Mr Elliot' dated 12 November:

Dr. Mueller called a tree after the Duke of Newcastle but I find no trace of his having done so in the case of the other Secretaries of State mentioned in this despatch.

The Governor was requested by the Duke of Newcastle to thank Dr Mueller for his communication [followed by an internal reference, and signed by two illegible initials].

Elliot added

I think that the answer to this despatch should be suspended until it appears whether the Southampton mail brings Dr. Mueller's botanical Works. If it does, Lord Carnarvon would probably thank Dr. Mueller for the presentation of these Works. With regard to the trees, I peresume that Lord Carnavon will assent to Dr. Mueller's using his discretion in affixing his Lordship's name to any Australian Trees or plants which Dr Mueller may propose to designate in that manner T F E [Thomas Frederick Elliot] 14 Nov.

That minute is followed by: 'Mr Elliots suggstion will quite meet the case. I know something of Dr. Mueller—14 Nov [C]'.

The face of the despatch is annotated 'Disposed of by Private Secretary'.

M subsequently named Carnavonia aralifolia (B67.12.01, p. 81), Cordyline manners-suttoniae (B66.12.04, p. 195) and Kentia canterburyana (B70.04.01, p. 101) in honour of the Minister and the Governor respectively.
Presumably Newcastelia cladotricha (B57.13.01, p. 22), Laboucheria chlorastachya (B59.02.02, p. 159), Bulweria nobilissima (B64.11.01, p. 147), Cardwellia sublimis (B65.04.01, p. 24), Eremophila latrobei (B59.04.04, p. 125), Barklya syringifolia (B59.02.02, p. 158), Sarcochilus barklyanus (B59.02.03, p. 89), Darlingia spectatissima (B66.02.02, p. 152), Helicia darlingiana (B65.04.01, p. 24).

Please cite as “FVM-66-08-21,” 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 29 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/66-08-21