To Edward Strickland   8 January 1886

8/1/86.

This evening, dear Sir Edward, I received your kind letter of yesterday, together with the copy of the last one from Mr Forbes.¹

Let me in first instance offer to you also my best felicitation to you; may the new annual space of time be one of happiness to you and those dear to you. Accept also my best thanks for your own gratulation; my health is fluctuating, so I may not live to celebrate an other anniversary of the worlds history; but among what little I can yet do in life, that for the geographic Society will be the most pleasurable, especially as you always meet me with so much geniality. Your not coming to our annual meeting will be a great loss to us; indeed we reckoned on it.² Still as it was with me, so it may be with you, that you cannot take a week or two out of your time, as such a visit would involve.

I learn with much sadness of Mr Maidens relapses to illness; as mentioned before, he ought to have a whole year of furlong, and make a sea-voyage through tropical latitudes, or go to some quiet country-retreat in a mild hilly region away out of all excitement.

The dried plants from the Expedition, I have only been quite recently able to unpack. They could only be cleared at the customs just before new year. They are in an excellent state of conservation, and so soon as the extra engagements for the annual meeting are over, I will set methodically to work on the elucidation of these plants. — I will also from time to time send back specimens for Sydney and Brisbane; in many instances there are only solitary specimens of a sort, but even of these I shall retain few. The difficulty of all collectors was experienced also in this instance, to get the plants as well in flower as in fruit; hence the elaboration is not in all instances easy; indeed from the necessarily incomplete material it will involve much devotion of time.

As regards Mr Forbes, we must endeavour to grant this splendid and enthusiastic naturalist an other subsidy, but on conditions, which will secure to Australia simultaneous sendings, so that we are not in disadvantage to Europe. I shall express myself to this effect in the annual adress.³ Mr Ramsay on behalf of the Australian Museum of your city might place himself in communication with the London Zoologist at the British Museum, so that a clear understanding may be arrived at, which particular orders or genera are to be elaborated at home and which in Australia. This would be fair to both sides, provided we can make our subsidy equal to that of the British Institutions, and that could only be, by the Governments of these colonies continuing the votes at least to some extent. I feel sure, your meeting will be a brilliant one. With regardful remembrance, dear Sir Edward, I continue yours

Ferd. von Mueller