4/6/71.
Having officially thanked the N.Z. Institute, dear Dr Hector, for the honor, bestowed so unexpectedly on me,1 I now beg to offer my services in any way, if they can be useful to the Institute. Perhaps you possess in the Library there my works very imperfectly. Those which appeared in Melbourne, I may be able to send you yet all, if you will kindly instruct me about your requirements; altho' the 2 first volumes of the Fragmenta2 cannot any longer be obtained, except occasionally by the sale of libraries.
The Moa is of no urgent consequence to the Museum, which asked me for it,3 more particularly as Dr Haast sent several fairly completed skeletons of various species to the Continent, where therefore any Ornithologist or Palaeontologist may study these extraordinar creatures of a past time now.
With my best salutation your regardful
Ferd. von Mueller.
Pray let Mr Buchanan4 bear the fruit of Donatia in mind; also please ask for a specimen of each of the new plants just described by him.5
Do you require more Cinchonas, Cork Oaks, Chinese & Assam tea plants, Hickories, American Walnuts &c this season. Would it not be well to give the results of your experiences with them in the "transactions". I send copies of two prints herewith.6
Donatia
Honorary membership; see New Zealand Institute to M, 25 April 1871, J. Hector to M, 12 May 1871, and M to J. Hector, 4 June 1871.
B60.02.04, B62.02.02.
Königliche Naturalien Kabinet, Stuttgart; see M to F. von Krauss, 8 October 1871.
John Buchanan (1819-1898).
The most recently published paper was Buchanan (1871) (parts read 25 June 1870, 22 October 1870, 12 November 1870; issued May 1871).
'Prints' not identified.
MS annotation probably by Hector: 'Recd 22/6/71'. The letter register (No. 144, Letter register, Museum of New Zealand, Wellington) is annotated, 'ansd 29.6.71', but that letter has not been found.
Please cite as “FVM-71-06-04a,” 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