To Joseph Hooker   12 June 1884

12/6/841

 

It needs not my assurance, dear Sir Joseph, that I will do all in my power for poor Renner, when he arrives here, and if you have any means of communicating with the Crown-Princess of Prussia, I beg of you to assure H.R.H., that I felt honored with the confidence placed in me, to interest myself in HRH’s Protegée. I had some months ago a letter from Herr Renner, in which he alluded to the interest, shown so condescendingly and feelingly to him by the Crown-Princess.2 To this letter I replied at once, giving him at the same time some little insight before hands into Australian affairs.3 I will see, that he is not placed in a position, that would not be congenial to him, and would not be adapted to his constitution and frailness.4

The more cheering accounts from Mr Bentham through you5 leads me to hope, that he gradually will gain some strength, and thus be spared us for many a year as a friend, though we cannot reckon perhaps on renewed labors of his any more.

I regret to hear of Mrs Dyers6 indisposition, but feel sure under your counsels she will recover her strength, when the summer has set in as by this time is the case.

The winter is here now much against me, and my cough has become so aggravated, that I shall not likely be able to leave my sickroom, til the vernal warmth will recommence in September. Til August we have here night-frosts.

it is cheering to see you preserve your health so well, so that your marvellous mass of labors can proceed uninterruptedly.

Always your

Ferd. von Mueller

 

12/6/847

 

Miss Maund desired some seeds of the rare Triglochin Maundii;8 the letter, containing them, came just back. I fear the vitality is lost now; they are very difficult to get, as the plant is known from very few places only. Perhaps it would be best to sow the seeds in Kew.

 

Triglochin Maundii

 
1
There is a tick in purple pencil to the left of the date.
2
Princess Victoria Adelaide, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and wife of Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia. Renner's letter not found.
3
Letter not found.
4
M wrote to the Chief Secretary, G. Berry, on 20 August 1884, seeking Gerhard Renner’s appointment as a Junior Assistant in his department. The appointment was approved; see T. Wilson to M, 26 August 1884. See also M to T. Wilson, 27 August 1884, and M to J. Hooker, 8 September 1884.
5
See J. Hooker to M, 14 March 1884.
6
Hooker's daughter Harriet, who was married to William Thiselton-Dyer.
7
What is presented here as a postscript is on a separate sheet, filed immediately after the sheet containing the letter. It has no addressee. However, its position in the file, together with its having the same date as the letter, suggests that M sent it as an enclosure with his letter to Hooker. It is annotated in Joseph Hooker’s hand, 'And Aug 17/84' [letter not found], and in William Watson’s hand, 'Seeds Recd. & Sown 30-7-84 | W.W.'.
8

M erected the genus Maundia in 1858, named in honour of the physician John Maund — recently deceased at the early age of 35 — and based on a species he described as M. triglochinoides; see B58.03.01, p. 23. However, in 1867 he transferred the species to Triglochin, as T. maundii; see B67.12.01, p. 83.

Maund had two unmarried sisters, Sarah and Eliza, who were at the time M wrote this note living on the Isle of Wight, UK.

Please cite as “FVM-84-06-12,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/84-06-12