To William Thiselton-Dyer   21 March 1893

21/3/93.1

 

Herewith, dear Dr Dyer, I beg to send you a copy of an article which will appear in the next number of the vict. Naturalist.2 It is in defence of an encroachment from Brisbane, as you may know, from a Circular received suddenly only yesterday and unexpectedly without the slightest previous communication with me!3 I am bound to protect the little Department here from injury4 and misjudgement.

Always regardfully

your

Ferd Mueller

 

Mr Henry Tyson,5 of Brisbane, on whom I had the least claim, came in the public press there most generously to my rescue! before I even knew of the circular or its intention. 6

1
Date stamped: Royal Gardens Kew 24. Apr. 93.
2
ff. 100-103 contain a rough draft of the unsigned article ‘The “Flora Australiensis”’ that appeared in the Victorian naturalist, vol. 9, 1893, pp. 183–4. It is in an unknown hand, with interlinings in M's hand. Folio 100 is stamped: '24. Apr. 93.' Folio 104 is a printed version, one page, with no header or page number, and the printed footer: 'From the Victorian Naturalist, April, 1893.' It has no Kew date stamp.
3

M received a copy of the circular from Frederick Bailey; it has therefore been treated as a letter; see F. Bailey to M, March 1893 (in this edition os 93-03-00b).

f. 93 Is a slip of paper, date stamped at Kew: '24. Apr. 93'; The text reads 'Brisbane 15 Mar 93 Rough draft of this circular was forwarded the other day F.M. B.' The circular (f. 99), is one folio, typed; signed and dated 9 March 1893 by F. Bailey, and date stamped at Kew: '24. Apr. 93'.

4
further deleted before injury.
5
Tryon?
6
Letter to the Editor by Henry Tryon (Brisbane courier, 17 March 1893, p. 2, cols f–g). Tryon was Assistant Curator of the Queensland Museum, and the attention of the Minister of Education was drawn to the letter; Tryon was ‘called upon for an explanation of his action in this matter’ (Brisbane courier, 24 March 1893, p. 5, col. a). Tyron had been under suspension while an investigation into aspects of his conduct was held (Brisbane courier, 7 March 1893, p. 2 col. g; 8 March, p. 5, col. g; 9 March, p. 3, col. b.) He was exonerated, but the Civil Service Board recommended that he be transferred to the Department of Agriculture as entomologist (Brisbane courier, 25 March 1893, p. 3, col. c); see ADB.

Please cite as “FVM-93-03-21,” 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 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/93-03-21