Melbourne bot. Garden
2/2/73.
It affords me great pleasure, dear Professor Giglioli, to introduce to you Mr Osgood Pritchard, the inventor of an improved Kaleidoscop, by which the inspection of the images is rendered most easy and by which the formation of images themselves can be brought under control. Here at a distance I cannot possibly be aware, how far any new alteration of the Ideador, Debuscop, Chromatoscop and Syposcop1 may forestal Mr Pritchards invention, as my very limited leisure does not afford me time for following up Physics or Chemistry closely, not even Medicine, all my spare moments being concentrated on the advancement of geography and phytography in Australia. Mr Pritchard has also discovered a fatty composition, which is far more economic for the use of Machinery of any kind and for carriage wheels &c than any other substance hitherto in use.
Mr Eaton has just written to me, how with genial kindness your respected sister received his Lady and himself
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller.
Ideador: a pattern-drawing instrument based on the kaleidoscope (see the anonymous artice 'Ideador, ein Instrument für die Dessinateure der Kattundruckereien und Bildwebereien, Decorationsmaler etc', Polytechnische Journal, vol. 108 (1848), p. 234 (url: https://dingler.bbaw.de/articles/ar108mi03.html) (Source identified by Paola Brenni, Museo Galileo, Florence).
Debusscope: 'an optical contrivance consisting of two mirrors placed at an angle of 72°, so as to give four reflections of an object or figure placed between them' [OED].
Chromatoscope: ‘an instrument for compounding colours by combining the light reflected from different coloured surfaces’ [Century dictionary].
Syposcop: not identified.
Please cite as “FVM-73-02-02,” 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