6/4/95.
By last mail, dear Sir Joseph, I sent you some journal-words and illustrations, which then just had appeared, locally here, concerning the voyage of the Steam-Whaler "Antarctic" to Victoria-Land,1 as you will as the only surviving Officer of Sir James Ross's Expedition2 be deeply interested in the new reaching of so far south, but these records will also interest you as a Phytographer, in as much as Mr Borchgrevink found 3 Algs and also a cryptogamic Land-Plant at and on Possession-Island.3 It does not seem that you could land there yourself, and thus the existence of these forms of vegetable life so very far south came not under your notice. Capt Christisen4 of the antarctic went away so early home to Norway from here, that I missed going on board, and therefore never saw the specimens of these plants, but I have written to Prof Agardh, to communicate with Capt. Christ[ensen]5, at Tromsoe, to obtain the 3 species of Algs for examination. The landplant was not found in fructification, and the specimens became spoiled. It formed green cushions.
With regardful remembrance your
Ferd. von Mueller.
Please cite as “FVM-95-04-06b,” 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 19 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/95-04-06b