From Ferdinand von Mueller 8 October 1867
To Charles Darwin Esq. with Ferd Muellers best salutation 8/10/67.1
[Enclosure]2
Mansfield
12 Septbr 67
Lieber Herr Doctor.
Sonnabend d 7’ts kam ich hier, an meiner Tour nach Mount Buller,3 am Sonntag hatte ich die Freude diesen majestätischen Berg mit seiner Schneekappe klar und deutlich zu sehen, seitdem haben wir leider täglich Regen gehabt und sind diese Alpenberge in Wolken eingehüllt, ich beabsichtige in dieser Gegend ein paar Wochen zu verweilen Mt Buller wie Timbertop4 zu besteigen und Ansichten aufnehmen soweit sich mir diese schöne Gelegenheit zu Gebote steht. Der Zweck dieser Zeilen ist, Ihnen hiermit meinen wärmsten Dank abzustatten für die freundliche Unterstützung und Rath zur Unternehmung dieser Tour; wenn in den Mt Buller Ranges werde ich nicht versäumen mein Augenmerk auch auf Flechten u Schwämme zu lenken und könnte ich sonst während meiner Anwesenheit hier für Ihr Departement5 hier anderweitig nützlich sein so bitte Sie recht freundlichst es mir mittheilen lassen zu wollen. Auf meine eingesandten Queries des Hn Chs Darwin bekam ich von der Missionsstation Framlingham erst vor ca. 8 Tagen die Antwort, dass die Eingebornen dort zu sehr mit der geringen (low) Classe der Europäer in Verbindung wären und er deshalb die Fragen nicht beantworten könne.6 Mrs. Green (Green) von der Coranderrk Station7 schreibt mir heute u. A. wie folgt:
“I am verry happy to inform you that we are now free of fever. It was only very recently that it finally disappeared from our station. there is not an individual here but has been attacked with it; Big Lizzie, Jack & Jacky Warren have died in it I was closely confined to bed in it for three weeks just after You were here last.— —- I have not been able to give much attention to your Queries I am only able to answer four of them yet; but I hope now to be able to make special observations on the others and you may depend on me in answering none of them without carefully observing them myself.”— —
Answers to Queries about Expressions:
12., I have seen Maggie and Marie laugh until the water from the eyes run down the cheeks.— (NB. Maggie (Tommy Hobrons Lubra & Marie, Simon Wongar Lubra ar both pureAborigines. Chs W.)8
14., the Children when sulky protrude the lips very much.
15. Jealous expressions can be observed in the countenance, the Natives seem not to be able to hide them.
17. In Affirmation the head is two or three times nodded vertically with the mouth shut and protruding a little. In Negation it is moved laterally sometimes in silence and sometimes accompanied by “Eota!”
The nearest Post Office for any letters intended for me will be *P Mansfield9 *Q for the next fourtnight.
Hoping dear Doctor that your health has improved, I remain, | Yours | most obedt. Servt. | Charles Walter | Landscape Photo. Artist
Ferd: Mueller Esqr M.D. | F.R.S. &c. &c. &c. | Melbourne
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Barwick, Diane. 1972. Coranderrk and Cumeroogunga: pioneers and policy. In Opportunity and response: case studies in economic development, edited by Trude Scarlett Epstein and David H. Penny. London: C. Hurst & Company.
Chambers: The Chambers dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers. 1998.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: The encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture. General editor: David Horton. 2 vols. Canberra: published by Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 1994.
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Translation
From Ferdinand von Mueller 8 October 1867
[Enclosure]1
Mansfield
12 September 67
Dear Doctor.
Saturday the 7th I arrived here on my tour to Mount Buller;2 on Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing clearly and distinctly this majestic mountain covered with snow; we have unfortunately had rain every day since and these alpine mountains have been enveloped in clouds. I plan to stay in this area for a couple of weeks, to climb Mt Buller and Timbertop3 and to photograph some views, should a good opportunity arise. The reason for these lines is to thank you warmly for your kind support and advice in the planning of this tour. When in the Mount Buller Range, I will not fail to direct my attention to the lichens and fungi, and if I can be of service to your department4 in any other way during my stay here, please let me know. In response to Mr Chs Darwin’s queries that I forwarded to the missionary station in Framlingham, just 8 days ago I received the answer that the indigenous peoples there are too much in contact with the poorer (low) class of Europeans, and he therefore cannot answer the queries.5 Mrs Green (Green) of Coranderrk Station6 has written the following to me today, as per your instructions:
Footnotes
Bibliography
Barwick, Diane. 1972. Coranderrk and Cumeroogunga: pioneers and policy. In Opportunity and response: case studies in economic development, edited by Trude Scarlett Epstein and David H. Penny. London: C. Hurst & Company.
Chambers: The Chambers dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers. 1998.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: The encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture. General editor: David Horton. 2 vols. Canberra: published by Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 1994.
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Summary
Forwards answers from Charles Walter to some of CD’s queries about expression.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5626
- From
- Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich (Ferdinand) von Mueller
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 181: 11
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp (part German) †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5626,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5626.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15
