26/8/78.
Pray, dear Mr Goldsworthy, to convey to his Excellency my thankful acknowledgement for having kindly extended the time for my selection the land on Giles behalf.1 This extension will — I trust —, enable me to await the return of Mr John Forrest, who with his extensive knowledge of W.A. territory is almost sure to be able to find for me an equivalent for my cash-outlay.
I thank you also for the friendly consideration shown by you in this protracted affair. Could I have in the slightest foreseen the trouble, which this transaction involved, I would not for a moment have entertained the idea of purchasing the grant.
Is it likely, that my forest-report will be printed?2 Who ever will read it attentively will find it a singularly important document for your colony.
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller
I send herewith the seeds of our 2 noble ferntrees of Victoria,3 which are of a lovely and grand palmlike aspect. If they were scattered on open places along the Yarrah4-brooks, perhaps hundreds of these noble productions of the vegetable world would spring up spontaneously.
Ernest Giles; see M to M. Fraser, 7 July 1878.
The report was printed as B79.13.10. The Government of WA requesitioned 500 copies through the Crown Agents in London on 13 June 1878; see notes to President of Forest Commission of Western Australia to the Colonial Secretary, 28 May 1878 (in this edition as M78-05-28).
In B77.08.01, M notes that Victoria has four tree ferns, 'of which however only two are frequent', namely Dicksonia antarctica and Alsophila australis.
'Yarrah' was the former name of 'Jarrah'; see B79.13.10, p. 3. 'The name of our 'jarrah' was 'yarrah,' 'jarrah' being a corruption of 'yarrah,' as was attested to yesterday by the Government Botanist (Mr. C. A. Gardner)' (West Australian, 27 July 1932, p. 12).
Please cite as “FVM-78-08-26a,” 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