Police Station
Geraldton.2 Johnstone River
17th May 1889
Sir
In reply to your letter of 22/3/893 inquiring if I could procure for you the flowers and fruit Cone of the Small leaf Kauri pine, I have the honour to inform you that I have made inquiries and I have been unable to find any one at present in this District that can give me any information as to the pine you mention. I have seen Christy Palmerston the explorer in Townsville lately and he informed me that he found the pime the leaves of which he forwarded to you on the table land between this place and Herberton.4 That is a long distance from here and impossible to get there at present as the country is dense jungle and no tracks through it at present[.]5 I do not think there has been any white person through there since Palmerston was there two or three years ago. Palmerston also informed me that he does not know what time of the year the tree is in flower or bear fruit.
Therefore return the leaves to you again. I have kept the seeds which you kindly sent me for which I thank you. Should I hear of any person coming across any of the pine in future I shall be most happy to forward to you the samples you require.
I have the honour to remain Sir
your obedient servant
P. Ryan
Senior Constable
Baron F. von Mueller, Esq
Government Botanist
Melbourne
Victoria
Please cite as “FVM-89-05-17,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/89-05-17