To Henry Holland   20 September 1887

Melbourne,

20 Sept. 1887.

To the Right Honorable Sir Henry Holland, Bt., P.C., G.C.M.G., M.P. &c

H.M's Secretary of State for the Colonies.

It is to me a source of great pleasure, most honored Sir, that my mark of homage from the field of science is regarded with so much appreciation by yourself;¹ and it was particularly opportune, that I could connect the honored name, of which you are so illustrious an heir, with a tropical tree from an order of plants, in which since 1866 the names of four of your Right honorable predecessors became commemorated within the floral realms of this great Continent for all times.²

Though the expedition, which Mr Cuthbertson now conducts by the generosity of the Victorian Government and under the auspices of the Royal geographic Society of Australia into the highlands of British New Guinea, is mainly devoted to geographic researches, Mr Sayer in his byework as that of a Collector of plants and animals will likely enable us to enrich the records of [...]³ the Flora and Fauna of the great Papuan Island, as hitherto only the first and second regions became reached, while likely now the third and fourth zone of elevation will be disclosed to biomorphic science, the fifth and sixth likely to be reached in the closing year of the first Century of Australian colonisation.⁴

In concluding, may I remark, that it was especially pleasing to me, when an opportunity aptly occured to me, to offer the humble phytologic dedication, to approach you, Sir, with a sense of veneration at a time, when under your Presidency the Colonies were permitted to share in the Counsels of the empire.⁵

I remain, Sir Henry,

reverently your

Ferd. von Mueller.

It would indeed be most cheering, if our forthcoming exhibition⁶ was honored by a visit from you — a hope which you hold out so graciously.