To Edward Ramsay   7 October 1886

7/10/86

 

I am delighted to hear, dear Dr Ramsay,1 that your persevering search for the Claudea Bennettiana has met with success; and you shall have full litterary credit for this rediscovery, and I shall gladly describe the fruit and male organs and any gemmae, when found. As yet we have here only imperfect material of the fruit of the allied Cliftonaea pectinata; but some day probably it will fall also to my share, to make the fructifying organs of that rare Alga fully known.

In the overwhelming work of the Department I must have overlooked (though glancing on about 30 science-periodicals) Mr Caldwells detail records on the foecundation of the Monotremata. Where are they to be found?2 Can I send you anything from here?

How much did you kindly subscribe on my behalf to the Macleay-Testimonial?3 It escaped my memory, and I am eager to send you a postoffice-order accordingly.

Regardfully

your

Ferd. von Mueller

 

Claudea Bennettiana

Cliftonaea pectinata

 
 
1
See E. Ramsay to M, 2 October 1886.
2
William Caldwell's principal paper on the reproduction of the Monotremata had not yet been published; see Caldwell (1887). There was, however, a published report of his lecture to the Royal Society of NSW on 17 December 1884 (Caldwell, 1884).
3
The Linnean Society of NSW was collecting subscriptions to honour the services to science of Sir William Macleay by commissioning a bust for the Society’s library. The preparation of the bust, executed by the sculptor Achille Simonetti (1838-1900), was somewhat delayed but it was eventually unveiled on 22 June 1889; see Australian Town and Country Journal, 29 June 1889, p. 44.

Please cite as “FVM-86-10-07,” 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 10 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/86-10-07