To Henry Ridley   21 April 1896

21/4/96.

 

Yesterday, dear Mr Ridley, arrived the large case with dried pressed plants, which you kindly forwarded. They arrived in a fairly good condition as a whole, though some had suffered from humidity. It seems that they were kept on deck of the Ship, under the idea that this was requisite, because they were “plants”

Let me express my best thanks for this most welcome new acquisition for the great Herbar here.1

So far as human forethought can go, these specimens ought to exist safely through centuries.

I get somewhat frightened at the arrival of these additional treasures from you, because I fear, that after the enormous “retrenchments”, which took place 4 years ago, I cannot keep any collector and can thus not make at present an adequate return-gift The Todea would barely represent an equivalent for your former sending. I trust the Todea does not find it too hot in your region.2

Always with friendship your

Ferd von Muller3

 

Have your notes on grasses &c for next edition of Select Plants”4

Do you want seeds of any Eucalypts? How do these kinds of trees behave there?5

 

Eucalyptus

Todea

1
The National Herbarium of Victoria has a number of specimens collected by Ridley in and near Singapore, from December 1888 to 1894.
2
Singapore.
3
Valediction written in left margin on back of folio’.
4
Written in right margin on the back of the folio.
5
Written in right margin on the front of the folio.

Please cite as “FVM-96-04-21,” 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 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/96-04-21