21/1/95
It is my gratifying duty, dear Prof. De Candolle, to acknowledge the receipt of your kind letter1 and also of your retour-sending of Meliaceae, which all were brought by the excellent Consul Martin personally, so that I could have a very pleasing conversation with him about you. I am much beholden to you for having so carefully elaborated the very poor collection of Papuan and Polynesian Meliaceae, and trust that your notes on these plants can soon appear in print. When more material comes in of this order, it shall at once be sent to you.
Rarely can I make an evening free for social recreation, but the last (Sunday) instead of going to church I went on invitation to the residence of the mother of Miss Menk Meyer, the young celebrated Pianist and Composer, a niece of Rubenstein She played among Compositions of her own one on the Lake of Geneve. It is extremely touching and beautiful. The financial difficulties of the Colony Victoria since the last 3 years forced me to devote almost all my attention to the interests of the breadwinning people and therewith to the revenue. I am getting together now the final supplements of the Myoporinae also; it is a huge collection, the whole, accumulated by myself in Australia since 1847. I will try to get soon through it for your Monographiae, as I should be so proud to become directly identified with the great DC series of volumes, before I pass away, so as to fulfil my promise give2 to your illustrious father.
If I not soon work out the Myoporinae connectedly I may pass away before it is done. Now Pringsheim, Duchartre, Flückiger have left us mortals also and I may be one of the next to follow them.3
Ever with regardful remembrance
your
Ferd. von Mueller.
Your young hopeful son is sure to be brought on by you to continue in the 4th generation the Candollean labours.
May I mention, that a German Doctor has gone to Samoa, to examine the vegetation there personally, so that it would be well for you to describe soon the new spec of Meliaceae.
I am very grateful that you kept the name given by me to the new Aglaia.
Aglaia
Meliaceae
Myoporinae
Please cite as “FVM-95-01-21a,” 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