6/10/87
This morning, dear Mr Macdonald, I received the enclosed letter1 from Mr Fort. It seems to me that we should seize on the chance of having the Governor and Lady Loch2 present and other distinguished Visitors about that time here, such as the Admiral,3 &c — but on account of the distance of the date, the Council could give Mr Cuthbertson a preliminary welcome. One advantage arises from having the public welcome later than we thought, that Mr C. will have time, to prepare his map, and write out a full report, to be read then.4 Let me kindly know your views, so that I can communicate in the course of this day with the Governor.
Regardfully
your
Ferd. von Mueller.
I think, the Governor should be asked to take the chair.
I will write to Sir Samuel Davenport this day;5 but shall be obliged to point out the uncertainty of Mr Giles6 taking command of the party.
Mr Sayer7 had an advance from his cousin8 here for personal outfit; perhaps this can be deducted from pay to Mr Cuthbertson for him.
G. S. Fort to M, 5 October 1887.
Sir Henry and Lady Elizabeth Loch.
Rear Admiral Henry Fairfax, commander of the British Navy's Australian station, arrived in Melbourne for a visit on 27 October 1887; see Age, 28 October 1887, p. 5.
In the event, Cuthbertson, who had led an expedition to New Guinea sponsored by the Victorian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, July to October 1887, was not officially welcomed to present his report until the Branch's meeting on 25 November 1887. Neither the Governor nor Admiral Fairfax was in attendance, and M as President of the Branch was in the chair. The proceedings of the meeting, including both the report that Cuthbertson read at the meeting and his journal and map of the expedition, were published in the Victorian Branch's Transactions and proceedings, vol. 5, part 2 (1887).
See M to S. Davenport, 5 October 1887 (in this edition as 87-10-05a), apparently mis-dated by M.
Ernest Giles.
William Sayer.
Charles French Snr; see T. Pentzcke to M, 4 March 1887, n. 6.
Please cite as “FVM-87-10-06a,” 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