Linnean Society.
Burlington House, London, W.
Septr. 18th., 1879
Dear Baron von Mueller
In a letter of yours of Apr 16/74,2 you rightly take credit for having been the means of adding more Fellows to the Society than most of its Members, and –– with very few exceptions –– your friends have proved most valuable acquisitions to our ranks. Generally speaking, too, they have been very prompt in acknowledging the honour. But among the Fellows elected during the past session, there are three (all proposed by yourself, Dr. Woolls, and Mr. Fitzgerald), viz. Dr. T. M. Curl,3 of Wellington, N. Z., elected on the 17th of April last, J. E. Brown Esqr., Inspt of Forests, Adelaide, eld. May 1/79, and P. O’Shanesy, Esq. of Cometville, Queensland, also elected on the 1st. of May last.4 Neither of these gentlemen has yet responded to the Notice of his Election which, signed as usual by the Senr. Secretary must, I think, have been sent5 by the next mail.
I cannot, however, speak at all confidently upon this point, having been for several months, exceedingly ill, and suffering from Mental aberration, the result of long-continued want of rest, caused in part by a bronchial affection, in part by great family affliction, culminating in the death, at a Lunatic Asylum, of a very dear Sister.6
During this long period of Mental obscuration, my accounts, which for thirty years, had always balanced to the penny, got sadly confused, and you may well believe, that under such circumstances, my correspondence must have dropped into arrears.7 I cannot but fear, therefore, that the usual notice of election was never sent to the above mentioned gentlemen, so, as you requested to be informed when they were elected, I think that the best thing for me now to do, will be to enclose to your care, duplicates of the notice sent, or which should have been sent at the time of their election, and to ask you to have the kindness to forward them to their present habitats. All three Certificates bearing the same signatures, it looks as if the Candidates were at the time of their being proposed, resident in or near Melbourne.8
Another gentleman, R. M. Johnston, of Launceston V.D.L. — also recommended by yourself, Dr. Woolls, & Mr. R. Fitzgerald — has very recently responded, forwarding the Admission Fee and first Annl. Subscrn ., which by our present bye-laws, newly elected & future Members will be required to pay together.
Mr. Johnston was elected in March last. I am glad to see that a powerful Steamer will shortly be dispatched which, it is anticipated, will complete the voyage to Melbourne, in little more than a month! A wonderful change since you first landed in Adelaide.
By the bye, I have not yet had the pleasure of recing a Certift. in fr. of Dr. Schomburgk, whom you, I am sure, & many more of our Fels., will have great plsr. in recom. F. His late Bror., Sir Robert, was a F. till his death, and made many valuable conns. to the Socy, which the Doctor also seems quite disposed to do, and the Adeld. Corporn. is so liberal in its dealgs with the garden & those connd with it, that I cannot conceive that an Annl. Subsn. of £3 can be a matter of serious Considern. to its Director. 9
With kind regards
believe me,
Faithfy Yours
Rc. K.
Baron von Mueller
F.R.S., L.S. &c.
Please cite as “FVM-79-09-18,” 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 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/79-09-18