Certificate of a Candidate for Election.
(N.B. Directions for filling up Certificates are given on the other side.)1
(Name) Ferdinand Mueller, Ph.D., M.D., F.L.S
(Title or Designation) Govt. Botanist for the Colony of Victoria, & Director of the Melbourne Botanic Garden; late Botanist to the North Australian overland Exploring Expedition.
(Profession or Trade*)2
(Usual place of Residence) Melbourne, Australia.
Qualifications as being:
The Discoverer of
The Author of3 Numerous papers on the Botany of Victoria & of Tropical Australia, published in the Linnaea, the Kew Journal of Botany, the Proceedings of the Linnaean Society, & the Transactions of the Victorian Philosophical Institute: — also of detailed Botanical Reports on the plants of Babbage's Expedition, & that of Gregory in search of Leichardt4
The Inventor or Improver of
Distinguished for his acquaintance with the science of
Eminent as a Botanist and Australian Geographical Explorer.
being desirous of admission into the ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, we, the undersigned, propose and recommend him as deserving that honour, and as likely to become a useful and valuable Member.
Dated this 12th day of January 1860
| From General Knowledge | From Personal Knowledge |
| John J. Bennett | Wm Jackson Hooker |
| John Lindley | Jos. D. Hooker |
| E.W. Brayley | W.H.Harvey |
| Thomas Bell | |
| Rob Wight | |
| Charles Darwin | Rod. I. Murchison5 |
| Geo. E. Frere | |
| J R Martin6 |
The directions printed on the reverse of the form are not reproduced here.
In the original Govt. Botanist ... Expedition is written in the space covered by both Title or Designation and Profession or Trade. On the printed form, the asterisk leads to a footnote: If no Profession or Trade, this should be stated by filling up the Blank with the word None.
In the original Numerous papers ... Leichardt is written in the whole space allotted to The Inventor or Improver of | Distinguished for his acquaintance with the science of.
Leichhardt.
The supporters had not all added their names to the certificate by 12 January 1860. The printed list of candidates issued by the Society on 3 April 1860 gives the names of the following Fellows as M's proposers: W.J. Hooker, J.D. Hooker, W.H. Harvey, R. Wight. - J.J. Bennett, J. Lindley, E.W. Brayley; the list issued on 3 April 1861 includes, in addition to those listed for 1860, T. Bell, C. Darwin, G.E. Frere. (Names in italics are of Fellows who supported 'from general knowledge'). Murchison and Martin appear to have added their support after the printed list was prepared for 1861.
MS annotation: 'Elected June 6/61 W.W.' (i.e. Walter White, the Royal Society's Assistant Secretary at the time). The following details are also recorded:
'Read to the Society on the 12th day of Jany 1860
To be Balloted for on the 7th day of June 1860
" " 6th " June 1861'.
Please cite as “FVM-M60-01-12,” 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