To John Balfour   25 March 1874

Melbourne

25/3/74.

 

I had the pleasure, dear Prof. Balfour, to welcome your excellent son1 and I shall see the young Gentleman yet before his departure, altho' I can not show him now my hospitality, as I am homeless myself since my Department was broke up. Dr Hooker advises me constantly to proceed quietly with scientific work, without in any of his letters hitherto taking the slightest notice that I have no proper votes for the purpose, indeed hardly any, not so much even to rent the necessary building-space.

I am dreadfully harrassed socially, financially & departmentally by this ruin, undeserved as it is, and temporary as it may be; so I cannot write more by this post. Always your

Ferd.von Mueller

Andrew Balfour, visiting Melbourne on board HMS Challenger; see notes to M to G. Bentham, 21 March 1874.

Please cite as “FVM-74-03-25a,” 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 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/74-03-25a