To Edward Ramsay   7 July 1884

7/7/84.

 

It was only through the last issue of the L.S.1 of N.S.W., dear Mr Ramsay, that I learnt of your return to Australia, after your enveyable tour to Europe.2 Since many months I have been suffering from pulmonary inflammation (a hereditary affliction), so that I was confined to my room and not allowed to see any one, except on urgent official business. Thus I lost all opportunities of learning, what was going on outside of my Department, and became now only aware of your return. I feel sure, that your voyage to European countries and the visit to its numerous science-Institutions must have been of very great interest to you, especially as you have yet a long life of hope and action before you.

Allow me; to ask you, whether any of your scientific friends there could spare me in interchange for publications any rough unprepared material, out of which Diatomeae could be elaborated in numerous variety for the microscope.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

As I cannot go out and now travel so little, even when well, I should feel difficulty to prepare or obtain Diatomeae from here in return.

 

Diatomeae

1
Linnean Society.
2
Ramsay visited Europe in 1883-4. He left London on 24 January 1884 and is reported as having arrived in Sydney per Chimborazo on 15 March 1883 (Sydney mail and New South Wales advertiser, 22 March 1884, p. 565). However, when the vessel arrived at Melbourne on 12 March (Argus, 13 March 1884, p. 4) Ramsay 'had only just time to catch the train for Sydney' (see E. Ramsay to M, 10 July 1884). At the meeting of the Society held on 25 March, Ramsay 'exhibited a fine collection of Marine animals in illustration of the new and excellent methods of mounting and preserving specimens in use by Senor Lo Bianco, at Dr. Dohrn's Zoological Station, Naples', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of NSW, vol. 9, p. 254. Part 2 of the volume, including this report, was issued after the meeting of 25 May 1884.

Please cite as “FVM-84-07-07,” 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/84-07-07