To Charles Birch   14 February 1871

Melbourne,

botan Garden

14/2/71.

 

I gladly send you, dear Mr Birch, the only copy which I have left of the beautiful map, published by my illustrious friend, Prof. Dr Petermann, on the Austral. continent.1 It embraces all the most recent discoveries, as I kept this great geographer always posted up in any thing concerning Australia.

Let me hope that you will incur no unnecessary risks, that your success will be glorious, and that we look forward to your movements with hope and the fullest confidence.2

your regardful

Ferd. von Mueller

 

Your fossils will be much appreciated

Probably the map (Tab. 21) titled 'Übersicht des Standpunktes der geographischen Kenntniss von Australien, 1868', that accompanied Petermann (1868).
Birch was about to embark on a search for a supposed survivor from Leichhardt’s last expedition; see M to C. Birch, 29 August 1870 (in this edition as 70-08-29a).

Please cite as “FVM-71-02-14b,” 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/71-02-14b