To William Thiselton-Dyer   9 October 1883

[9]/10/83¹.

This evening, dear Mr Dyer, I had a call from Surgeon M'Gillivray, FLS., the son of the late Prof. M'Gillivray. He brought 25 years ago a letter of introduction to me from Sir Will. Hooker.² He rose here to a distinguished position in the medical profession, and has devoted for many years some spare time to the elucidation of Polyzoa. He is a candidate for the FRS., and Dr Cobbold, (the helminthologist), Mr Ellery, myself and others support him. He asks me, to write to you, and solicit Sir Joseph’s and your support also. I hope that the Rev. [J] Tenison Wood will be elected also. Both are well deserving of the honor and so Prof. Tate; all three belong to different colonies, which may take away the objection of three Australians entering the field in one year.³

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller.

I wanted to have sent duplicates for the Herbarium to Kew; but when ever I commence, something new arises, to intervene. Hardly were the articles ready for Amsterdam,⁴ then I was taxed extra for Calcutta;⁵ and now, after that is done, I am pressed to help at the new Industrial Museum, which arises in our magnificent international Exhibition Building now.⁶ All this is the more time-taking, as I have neither garden nor laboratory, neither Office Building nor other facilities. Dr Masters had a sensible leading articles in one of the August-numbers of the "Chronicle", concerning bot. Gardens, in all of which sayings of his I concur; indeed he might have said a great deal more. To call the playful and certainly unremunerative carpetry of flowergrowing however an "abomination" is rather a strong term.⁷

Will a supplement soon appear to the "genera"?⁸

Excuse me saying, that I felt rather set aside, when the flora Australiensis is quoted in numerous cases, the source of which were the fragmenta.

I subscribe to all the Kew publications.

An iron-annex is just put up to my only Museum room, as a receptacle for the Sonderian collection, now on its way out.⁹