21/11/88
Amidst many extra engagements, dear Mr Turner, just now, I write only a few lines, to acknowledge your kind letter and the sending of your important prints. The latter shall be duely utilized for the next edition of the "Select plants"1
Let me offer my best thanks for your kind felicitation at the bestowal of this glorious award by the RS.;2 I regard it however rather as accorded to Australian Science in General and think that I am merely the recipient, because I happened to be for the longest time practically working extensively in the cause of science here.
For the sake of all Australia I am particularly proud, that one of the R.S. medals came to us here. The Hon. P G. King3 showed me the marked attention of calling, and I enjoyed his kind visit very much. He will likely be still here, when we hold our next geographic meeting, and then honor us with his presense.4
Could a specimen of the particular Eremophila be procured, from which the tar was obtained.5
Regardfully your
Ferd von Mueller
Does the Gov. Veterinary Surgeon of N.S.W.6 still think, that the Eremophila Drummondi is harmless. The specimen sent by you is Salsola Kali, L.
Do you like to join the Royal Hort. Soc. of London? I will be happy to propose you F.R.H.S.7
B91.09.01; the information would have been received too late to be included in the previous edition, B88.12.01.
The Royal Society of London had awarded M one of its two Royal Medals for 1888, 'for his long services in Australian Exploration, and for his Investigations of the Flora of the Australian Continent', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, A, vol. 179 (1888), p. xiii.
Philip Gidley King, member of the Legislative Council of NSW.
King is reported to have passed through Albury (NSW) by train on his way to Melbourne on 10 November 1888, and on his return to Sydney on 6 December (Sydney morning herald, 12 November 1888, p, 8, and Sydney morning herald, 7 December 1888, p. 8). The next meeting of the Victorian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia was held on 12 December (Age (Melbourne), 14 December 1888, p. 9).
The entry on Eremophila longifolia in the 1891 edition of Select plants (B91.09.01), the only Eremophila discussed, includes (p. 164) information attributed to 'Hon. Phil. King' that is new to this edition, that 'a crude, somewhat peculiar tar is copiously and easily obtained from the wood'. M also newly reported that 'hypnotic properties are ascribed to the foliage, which opinion needs however yet confirmation'.
Edward Stanley. See 'Sheep mortality near Bourke', Evening news (Sydney), 5 September 1887, p. 7, which reports that Stanley held to the view that the deaths were due to anthrax, despite not being able to demonstrate cross infections by inoculating healthy sheep with blood from those that had died.
Turner received notification of his election on 22 February 1889 (Cumberland argus (Parramatta), 2 March 1889, p. 3). Nomination certificates for the relevant period do not survive at the Royal Horticultural Society and it is not possible to confirm that M was involved.
MS annotation: From Baron Von Mueller, F.R.S.'
Please cite as “FVM-88-11-21,” 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