From Henry Crummer to Ferdinand von Mueller   27 Jan 1896

Queensland Chambers

18 Bridge Street

Sydney 27 January 1896

To Baron Sir Ferd Von Mueller KCMG, PhD, LLD, FRGS &c

Melbourne

Victoria

Sir

It gives me very much pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your kind letter of the 22nd instant, and to express my sincere thanks for the honor you have paid me by your courteous and lengthy reply to my remarks respecting the fate of Dr Leichhardts Expedition;¹ and it is the more gratifying to me to feel that though burdened with the pressure of correspondence in connection with your onerous official duties that you should have condescended to tax yourself with additional labour in affording me full particulars of the information you possess which leads you to form a reasonable opinion of the causes that attended the fate of the Expedition.

I am more than [surprised] to learn from you [that] the subject for the renewal of research [for] the remains of Dr Leichhardt and party, which you thoughtfully brought under the notice of the meeting of the International Geographical Congress recently held in London, and at which many Australians were present, did not meet with the interest it deserved at their hands, and it does not accord with their usual generosity to have allowed your appeal in so sacred a cause to have passed unnoticed, but you have the consolation to feel that you did all within your power to accomplish your most […] worthy object, and it is much to be regretted that it could not be arranged as suggested by you to have had Sir Geo Grey and Mr Eyre presented to the Congress, when the result might have been different.

I imagine you have already been [apprised] of the proposed syndicate being formed here to send out a small expedition consisting of five men and eight camels to prospect for gold in the vicinity of the Berksgate Range² and from thence to […] recross the desert country towards Coolgardie.³ The leader is a Mr Czarlinski who was formerly attached to the Water Conservation Department here but is at present on one of the gold fields in Queensland. The two directors and Secretary of the Syndicate are personally known to me, and I introduced them to Messrs Tietkens & Helms who gave them valuable information respecting portions of the country they intend the Expedition to visit — I shall inform you of the movements of the party directly it is decided to arrange […] leaving, so that should you wish to make any suggestions to look out for traces of Leichharts⁴ party you will have ample time to do so.

I hardly need say that Mr Mann and myself are deeply impressed with your letter and think it of so much importance that it will be read, as you have previously permitted, at the next meeting of the Society, where there is every hope to think that steps will be taken to try and raise funds to carry out your proposal to send out a small party with camels to the locality you name.⁵

Mr Mann joins me in best greetings and trusting that you are in the enjoyment of good health notwithstanding the late oppressive heat.

I have the honor to be

Sir

Your most obedient Servant

H.S.W. Crummer.