From Marcus Clarke   6 April 1871

6th April [187]1.1

Sir

I have the honor by direction of the above Committee to acknowledge your letter of the 10th March addressed to His Honor Sir Redmond Barry2 and to inform you in reply that the Committee much regret that you should have misunderstood the tenor of their communications with you

The Committee instruct me to assure you that they have the highest possible respect for your scientific attainments and social and official position, and that they would on no account have you imagine that they would act towards you in any manner that was not consonant with that opinion and the greatest consideration for yourself.

But the Committee desire me to point out to you that they have already expended on the Phytologic Section a larger sum than that expended on other departments of the Museum, and that it is their duty as Trustees of the Institution to exercise in their disbursements a most strict economy

The Committee think moreover that you have omitted to consider the fact that they — so far from refusing the needful funds to enable you to carry on your valuable labours in connection with the Museum — have begged you to name the sum required to fully complete the Phytologic section in order that they might give to the question of further expenditure their best consideration The Committee again desire me to ask you to name the sum you need.

With reference to the index plantarum, the Committee regret that owing to arrangements made with the Printer, and the fact that they have already been compelled to refuse to print addenda to other lectures — in the shape of notes and diagrams, they cannot publish your most valuable and interesting list together with the volume of lectures,3 but unwilling that the public should be deprived of the benefit of your labours and that you yourself should suffer the mortification of seeing your trouble and time expended to no purpose the Committee will publish a limited number of copies of your lecture separately with the index attached4

Again assuring you of the consideration of the Committee

I have the honor to be

Sir

Your most obedient Servant

Marcus Clarke

Secretary

 

Dr. Von Müller C.M.G. M.D. Ph.D. F.R.S

&c &c &c

Director of the Botanic Gardens

1
editorial addition.
2
See M to R. Barry, 10 March 1871.
3
Lectures delivered in the lecture room of the Museum during the Spring session of 1870 (Melbourne, 1871).
4
No version of M's lecture (B71.13.04) is known that includes such an appendix.

Please cite as “FVM-71-04-06b,” 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/71-04-06b