21/7/80.
This day, honored and venerable Sir, I had a letter from Mr Edw. Ramsay of the Sydney-Museum,1 in which communication he asks me to second his election as a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, which I am all the more happy to do, as I understand, that you will kindly propose him there.2
He is the first among the son’s of Australia, I think, who distinguished himself on the fields of zoology.
Let me hope, dear Prof. Owen, that you are well and that your strength will long yet continue allow you to be a leader in the natural sciences.
Regardfully
your
Ferd. von Mueller.
Letter not found; but see M to E. Ramsay, 22 July 1880.
R. Owen to H. Bates, RGS Assistant Secretary, 4 September 1880, which encloses this letter, points out that Owen is not a Fellow of the RGS, and therefore formally he could not support Ramsey. M again tried unsuccessfully to arrange Ramsay's nomination a year later; see M to E. Ramsay, 22 October 1881. Ramsay was eventually elected on 10 December 1883, on the basis of a certificate signed by three British-based members of the Society, Howard Saunders, H. G. Seeley and Edward Harris.
Please cite as “FVM-80-07-21,” 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