February 27 [189]51
Dear Baron
Let me hope that you may retain the position you have enjoyed for so many years to the end of your days. This is truly my heartfelt desire and I express it in words at the present, there being a rumour about similar to the one some years ago, as to your retirement which I hope is false.2
Enclosed find slip bearing descriptions of two new plants one of which according to my friend Dr Jos. Lauterer is likely to prove of importance in an economic sense.3
I am now and again receiving botanic specimens from New Guinea but for want of the literature upon the subject am unable in many instances to determine them prior to placing them in the herbarium. I therefore would be obliged if you would send me copies of all you may have published (except the following which I have Papuan Plants I by F.v.M.4 Descriptive notes on Papuan Plants VI by F. v.M5 Vascular Cryptogamia of N Guinea collected by Sir Wm Macgregor6 by J. G. Baker7 of Kew) I dont know where to purchase your publications upon the N. G. Flora or would not trouble you upon the subject — I would however willingly pay for them. I am much obliged for the Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa specimens, they only differ from mine by being smaller. See Gard. Chron. Dec. 22/94 Red poison fruit where a doubt is expressed about the plant sent to Dr Cooke by me8 — I thought and indeed was satisfied as to the correctness of my determination & from your specimens am now certain that I was correct but when diseased fruits differ much in form & this & the lesser foliage made the Kew people think there might be a doubt about them
Ever yours very truly
F. Manson Bailey
P.S. I was sorry you could not come to our January meeting.9
Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa
editorial addition.
Bailey may have interpreted press reports as a firm indication that M was to retire. The Brisbane courier, 20 February 1895, p. 5, reported that at a meeting of the Victorian Public Service Board on 18 February it had been decided that M 'should continue his services until the end of the present year'. Other Queensland press reports of the same meeting certainly made this assumption: 'Three noted men will shortly retire from the public service. Mr. Hayter the Government Statistician, is to retire … end of next month, and Mr. Ellery, Government Astronomer, at then end of June. Baron Von Mueller's services are to be retained until the end of the year' (Gympie times, 21 February 1885, p. 2).
In 1892 it had been proposed that the office of Government Botanist be abolished (see T. Wilson to M, 15 January 1892), but after a press campaign (see notes to M to T. Wilson, 23 January 1892, in this edition as 92-01-22a), the post was continued (see M to T. Wilson, 31 January 1892). In January 1895, two of M's assistants were transferred to the Department of Agriculture, but he managed to have one transferred back iin April (see F. Reddin to M, 28 January 1895 and notes thereto).
Enclosure not found.
B75.11.01; it is however probable that Bailey means the set of five numbered parts, issued as a bound volume B77.13.14, and known as 'Vol. 1'.
B85.06.03.
i.e., MacGregor.
Baker (1890).
Cooke (1894): 'fruits and leaves sent to Kew are stated to be quite different from the fruit and leaves of the Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa of Bentham, and also those of Baron Mueller'.
The 6th Congress of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Brisbane in January1895. M was the president of Section E, Geography, for the meeting but did not travel to Brisbane. The session for the delivery of the presidential address was chaired by the Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Norman, who after expressing regret at the 'unavoidable absence of the veteran president and enthusiatic geographer', 'called upon Major Boyd to read the presidential address' (Brisbane courier, 15 January 1895, p. 6). M's address, B96.04.10, is printed in the Record of the meeting without any indication that M was absent.
Please cite as “FVM-95-02-27,” 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