22/5/94.
The little box with Panicum spectabile, dear Commandeur Archer, will be sent to morrow, as Thursday is a holiday. It has occurred to my thoughts, that your son in law might take with him the nine Decades of the Eucalyptography,1 which out of ten are still available at the Governm. Printing Office, as the Eucalypts are sure to become of importance for Siam also.2 The hon. the Premier has always shown himself favorable for supplies of such works to other Governments; so — if you kindly called at the Premiers or Chief Secretary's Office, probably you could receive an order from Mr Patterson for this particular work. This is so easy an opportunity to send it by a direct ship.
With regardful remembrance your
Ferd. von Mueller
Panicum spectabile
B79.13.11, B80.13.04, B82.13.17, B84.04.04, B84.11.02. It is not know which decade was out of print.
Archer's daughter Grace married the surveyor and engineer Philip Gavan Duffy, son of M's erstwhile political chief, Sir Charles Gavan Duffy. P. G. Duffy worked on the Siam (now Thailand) railway survey from 1893; he had probably returned to Melbourne for a time when his first child was born in February 1894. He was working in WA by 1898.
Please cite as “FVM-94-05-22,” 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