Allow me, dear Mr Bentham, to offer you my best felicitation to your membership of the Order of St Michael & St George,1 though I wished that I at once could congratulate you to2 the long earned British Knighthood, which is sure early to follow after this first stage3 of royal approval of your illustrious researches through half a century & more. Of all men of science you, the most labourious, deserved the highest reward for your disinterested furtherance of one of the most important of all sciences.
What a pleasure & delight must it be to you, to be conscious, that hardly a square mile in4 the whole globe, so far as inhabitable, does exist, where plants do not speak & will speak for all ages of you. If we came to count up the species named by you, I believe they would exceed even those of L's & D C's5 and Hookers! Well may you be proud of that; no earthly other glory will compare to such.
Let me hope, that your health amidst your great labours will remain firm, and that you autumn of life will be long & serene.
Regardfully always your
Ferd. von Mueller
Three lines of the letter, to this point, are each marked in the margin with a cross.
Bentham, on seeing the Gazette announcement 'wrote to remonstrate' (RBG Kew, Bentham's diary, vol. 19, 24 May 1879). Bentham believed that he had no claim to the award as the announcement described him as 'George Bentham Esqr of Victoria author of the Flora Australiensis'. His letter, 24 May 1879, to R. Herbert, Secretary to the Order, continued: 'I have not nor have I ever had any connection with any of the Colonies and therefore can have no claim or right to be placed on the Order of St Michael and St George and would only be considered as an intruder there and cannot conceive how the mistake has originated — probably the honor may be intended for someone else. At any rate I hope that the error may be corrected and the nomination cancelled' (PRO London, CO 447/35. Order of St Michael & St George, Original correspondence 1879, Individuals; B, no. 8686). Herbert replied on 29 May that 'the mistake in the Gazette arose from the fact that the Services recognised by the Queen were rendered principally in connection with that Colony. The value of those services have been repeatedly brought before H. M. Govt. by the Gov. of Victoria as well as by Sir Jos. Hooker; & there can be no question that their recognition in the manner that H. M. has been pleased to adopt will be very satisfactory to all Australians interested in the Natural History of the Country' (Draft reply with the copy of the letter from Bentham). Bentham replied on 30 May: 'Although I may be still of opinion that personally I am not qualified for the distinction yet I accept it thankfully as an honorable acknowledgement of the value of science' (G. Bentham to R. Herbert, PRO London, CO 447/35, Order of St Michael & St George, Original correspondence 1879, Individuals; B. no. 8789).
Please cite as “FVM-79-06-08a,” 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 19 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/79-06-08a