To Ralph Tate   20 January 1883

20/1/83

 

Yesterday, dear Prof Tate, I received back the paper of your Candidature at the R.S. of London, from the F.R.S., among in Australia it was circulated.1 It bears the signatures now of Dr Hector, Dr v. Haast, Prof M'Coy, Mr Ellery, and Sir G. Verdon from general knowledge, — and of course mine from personal knowledge.

As Judge Sir J. Cockle is still in England his Honor's signature has to be obtained at home, and then there would be wanting among Australian F's only that of Prof Liversidge, to whom I do not like to send the paper, as he is in intimate relation and cooperation with the Rev Jul. Ten. Woods at the R.S. of N.SW.; — and as it is best that the latter should not know directly there of your steps, as then a misconstruction could perhaps be put on my action in this matter.

I shall send the paper to Sir Jos. Hooker by next mail, so that it may be in time for this year;2 and will ask him, to try with his great influence, that both you and Mr Woods get elected, without imperilling the election of either. Mr Forrest and I believe also Dr McGillivray acted on my advise to defer their candidature.3

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Be so good to write to Sir Joseph, which of your friends ought to be applied to in Britain & Ireland, to support your election I added to your qualifications that of a scientific traveller in Central America4

1
See M to R. Tate, 15 January 1883 (in this edition as 83-03-15b).
2
See M to R. Tate, 3 February 1883 (in this edition as 83-02-03a), and J. Hooker to M, 12 March 1883. Tate was nevertheless not a candidate in the Royal Society's 1883 election of new Fellows. He was a candidate in 1884, 1885 and 1886 but was never elected.
3
Julian Tenison Woods was an unsuccessful candidate in the Royal Society's elections in 1883 and 1884, and then again each year from 1886 to 1888. Paul MacGillivray was an unsuccessful candidate, 1884-6. John Forrest was never a candidate.
4
Some years before moving to Australia, Tate had worked in 1867-8 in Central America and Venezuela, mostly on mining prospects.

Please cite as “FVM-83-01-20,” 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 18 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/83-01-20