To James Francis   15 June 1873

Melbourne bot. Garden

15/6/73

Sir

I have the honor to solicit, that you and your honorable colleagues will be pleased to grant me for a period, not exceeding one year, or for such period less as my impaired state of health may admit of for further field exertions of mine, — permission to travel in Australia or in islands near to it for researches in connection with the great work, elaborated and to be continued by the President of the Linnean Society of London and myself1 and for the promotion of such other works, as I publish under the auspices of the Victorian Government. By this permission my studies would simply be transferred for a time from the study room to the field, and I would not in any way travel for pleasure, but only for the enrichment of our bot. Museum and the works emanating therefrom.

It is unnecessary to explain, that extensive field operations, will involve great expenditure, and that consequently I would regard it as an act of kindness, if you would allow me to travel on full pay, so that I may make the best of my time with adequate means during the limited and probably last period of my life, which I can still devote to phytologic explorations.

I may be allowed to add, that I have not been absent since 1855 & 1856 (when I accompanied as Naturalist the Expedition sent by the Duke of Newcastle through North Australia2) from my official work in Victoria, except for about one month in 1865,3 when I instituted comparative researches in West Australia on some of the plants there, and except for two weeks in 1869, when for similar purposes I traversed some of the alps of Tasmania.

I have the honor to be,

Sir, your obedient servant

Ferd. von Mueller, M.D.

 

The hon.

J.G. Francis, Chief Secretary

 

In the event of your favorably entertaining my request I would arrange, that with the £300 voted for my Department, the routine work of my museum is proceeded with by Mr. Luehmann, who as a subcustodian has lived since the last three years in the Museum building, and who would receive full information of what would be his duties on the Museum during my travels.4

1
Bentham (1863-78).
2
North Australia Exploring Expedition, 1855-6.
3
Error for 1867.
4
On 16 June Francis minuted: 'Inform Dr Mueller that up to the 30th Instant he is an officer in the Department of the Honl [Honorable] the Commissioner of Lands & Survey & has still to reply to certain letters addressed to him by Mr Casey & that I trust Dr Mueller will do this without delay & bring all departmental matters to a close before end of the month in a satisfactory manner — after which the Government will be glad to comply with the request to give 12 months leave of absence & will take over the Botanical Library & the Museum leaving Dr Mueller to take absolute rest & recreation without entailing any duty upon him'. See W. Odgers to M, 18 June 1873 (in this edition as 73-06-18a).

Please cite as “FVM-73-06-15c,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/73-06-15c