Melbourne
10/11/87
The honorable Alfred Deakin, M.L.A.,
Chief Secretary &c &c
Sir.
I have the honor to report, that the "Key to the system of Victorian plants"1 will be finished for issue by December, the greater portion of it having by this time gone through the press; and I beg now to solicit your permission, to dedicate this work to yourself as the Minister, under whose direction these volumes have been elaborated, and under whose generous support the researches of the phytologic Establishment have recently much advanced, and who himself has such scholarly interest in scientific progress here. I feel sure also, that it will be pleasing to you, if the Atlas of Australian Acacias2 also to be finished about the end of this year, is dedicated to his Excellency the Governor,3 to connect his name for all times also, like yours, with the vegetation of this part of the world.4
I have the honor to be, Sir,
your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller.
Acacia
B88.11.02.
B87.13.04, B88.13.01.
Sir Henry Loch.
On 14 November 1887 Deakin noted that he had 'no objection if this be the usual practice.' Ten days later T. Wilson, Under Secretary, sent the file to M with a note saying he had 'informed Mr Deakin that Baron Von Mueller has previously, with permission, dedicated others of his works to Ministers of the Crown'. M returned the file on 28 November 'with best acknowledgement'.
Please cite as “FVM-87-11-10a,” 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