To Richard Owen   6 October 1874

Melbourne

6/10/74.

This morning, dear Prof Owen, I had the pleasure of a call from the Rev. Dr Bleasdale, who is anxious that I should bring by this months mail (which leaves tomorrow morning) under the notice of the Royal Society a suggestion of his, by which the reverend Gentleman hopes to lessen the numerous catastrophes arising still in coalmines by explosions through the access of flame to air largely mixed with hydrogen or hydrogen and carbon. The great boon of Sir Humphrey Davy's security lamp has given considerable safety against such disasters, but even with the improvements effected on this lamp by Upton, Dumesnil, Roberts, Müseler, Combes, and others,¹ the accidents, have still occasionally ocurred, as we are well aware, one most dreadful and extensive occuring a few years ago in a coal mine of Saxony. This has led the Rev Dr Bleasdale to come forward with his new proposition. Amidst my mail-work I have no time to reflect calmly on this subject in all its bearings, but I gladly respond to the learned divines request of bringing his views at once under notice, and I trust you will allow me with your usual urbanity and constant readiness to aid research to submit Dr Bleasdale's note to yourself, especially as your Colleague Dr Maskelyne would likely be able to test the rev Gentlemans proposition. Prof Nevil Maskelyne has been in correspondence with Dr Bleasdale on mineral gems, on the elucidation of which, so far as Australia is concerned, the latter has spent much attention, and this very successfully too. It will be for your kind consideration, whether the wish of the Rev Doctor, to have his views brought before the Royal Society can be realized with propriety.²

With expressions of my highest regards

I remain your attached

Ferd. von Mueller.

Not for publication ³

I avail myself of this opportunity of sending you my last annual report,⁴ from which you may observe how deeply my Department is ruined. I have been somewhat surprised, that among the English men of Science, especially among those on whom I had professionally most claim, hardly anyone has given me his support in my departmental ruin, Dr Maxw. Masters being almost the only one who stood to me and upheld the principle, that a Gov. Botanist cannot maintain his position without the Directorship of a bot Garden with its staff, buildings and votes.⁵ So it is at Kew and so everywhere else. When you refer to the balance sheet of my report, you will observe, that my working votes (irrespective of a modest salary) are 300 during the last financial year and that in a very expensive country like this colony. Indeed that endowment would not cover the outlay for rent for the requisite buildings, to carry on the work with advantage to the country and with honor to myself, and of this several of my British Colleagues are aware since a year or more. Let me hope that providence will preserve you in health & strength for continuing on your luminous path. I send to Sir Henry Rawlinson by this post⁶ the diary of the geographic explorater Mr Giles.

⁷There seems a prospect, that my position for departmental work will be improved in the new financial year, though it will be always an anomalous one and precarious and embarrassed, unless the bot Garden is restored to me as my place of work to my administration