South Yarra,
10 June 1886
Consul Litton &c1
Hon. Secr. of the geologic Society,
Melbourne.
Dear Sir
In accordance with my promise I will write a short introduction to the first volume of the geol. Soc. of Victoria; but the pressure of departmental work is such, that I shall not be able to attend to it this week.2
Indeed I have felt since some time, that I could not do justice to the position, so honorably allotted to me in the geol. Soc. here, and as I have before me a multitude of work in connection with my official position, I was obliged quite lately to decline also the Presidency of the Field Naturalists Club, however highly I value the honor and confidence thus shown me by that large and florishing Association.3
I beg therefore now to intimate to you, that I cannot hold any longer the Vice Presidency of the geologic Society here, the proper active maintenance of which would involve far too much time, than I could for a long time to come withdraw from strictly official engagements.4 Thus I now relinquish for the reasons above given that honorable position in the Society, and I beg of you, to intimate this as early as possible to the President and Council of the Society. My subscription for the current year is forwarded herewith5
Wishing the Society a successful career6
Litton was appointed Consul-General for Liberia 'for Australasia and the Islands adjacent thereto' in September 1885 (Victoria, Government gazette, 4 September 1885, p. 2511).
i.e. Geological Society of Australasia. The promised introduction was never published.
The request was in F. Barnard to M, 6 April 1886 (in this edition as 86-04-06b); in M to F. Barnard, 9 April 1886, he declined the invitation. He however accepted election as a Patron in M to F. Barnard, 22 May 1886; see also M to F. Barnard, 17 June 1886.
The Society was founded in March 1885 (Litton (1886), p. 6); M was elected as a Vice president in July 1885 (Argus, 6 July 1885, p. 6). He was an active member, including chairing the first Annual Meeting on 9 April 1886 (Argus, 10 April 1886, p. 10). See also M to R. Litton, 26 June 1886 (in this edition as 56-06-26a).
Annual subscriptions had been set at 'One Guinea' (£1:1:0) in the Society's constitution (Litton (1886), p. 5).
The bottom of the page, presumably carrying M's signature, has been cut off.
Please cite as “FVM-86-06-10b,” 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