Melbourne bot. Garden 11/6/69.
I cannot forego the pleasure, dear Mr Horne, to bid you at least by a few lines my best farewell, and to express to you at the eve of your departure from these shores my admiration for your talents and writings, my appreciation of all your highly honorable sentiments and my sympathy for your future. It was my wish to have shaken hands with you once more, but as I am not yet fully recovered from a severe bronchial catarrh, I am compelled to remain within the walls of my dwelling, as far as it is possible. Permit me to offer the enclosed poor photogram for your friendly acceptance, & let me receive yours as a souvenir for the series of little pictures of celebrated friends.1
If I can be here of any service to you, when you are in Europe, again, pray command my attention.
With the most regardful wishes for your future
Ferd. von Mueller.
R. H. Horne Esq
Passenger by the Lady Jocelyn2
Robe Street
St Kilda
No image of Horne has been identified at MEL, but see M to J. Haast, 29 July 1862 (in this edition as 62-07-29b) and notes thereto.
Lady Jocelyn sailed from Melbourne for London on 12 June 1869, with Horne registered as a passenger. The letter is annotated in another hand: ‘if not at address, return to J. K. White & Co. Collins [St] Melbourne’.
Please cite as “FVM-69-06-11a,” 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