Guide to the Correspondence of Albert S. Meek (as filmed by the AJCP)

Series. Tring Museum Correspondence Box 83, 1894 - 1931

For a more detailed list see the available supplementary material.

Letters, 1894 - 1900 (File 1-87)

The letters refer to the purchase and sorting of the zoological collection of George Barnard (1894-96), Meek's first expedition to New Guinea, collecting in the Trobriand Islands and Woodlark Island, costs and expenditure, financial arrangements with Tring Museum, despatch of specimens, especially coleoptera (beetles) and lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), his relations with Papuans, hopes of exploring the interior of New Guinea, Meek's visit to England (1896), his return to New Guinea (1897-99), his assistants W.G. Meek, Henry Barnard, and George and Albert Eichhorn, relations with Kanaka collectors, engagement of carriers, collecting of birds at Goodenough Island, encounters with aggressive 'bushmen', fevers and illnesses, a sailing accident at Woodlark Island (1897), his travel movements, specimens of particular interest, collecting on Rossel Island (1898), stories of cannibalism on Rossel Island, Meek's relations with the governor William McGregor, his marriage to Emelie Eichhorn (1898) and births of children, and collecting in the Milne Bay region (1900)...

Letters, 1901 - 1908 (File Items 88-215)

The letters refer to Meek's first expedition to the Solomon Islands(1901), his plans for an expedition to the Aroa River in the interior of New Guinea, collecting of butterflies, insects, bird skins and other specimens, travel arrangements, the revision of his agreement with Walter Rothschild, the despatch of collections, the sale of the cutter Calliope (1902), costs, expenditure and financial arrangements, Meek's attitude to A.E. Pratt and other collectors, his relations with officials such as George Le Hunte, Anthony Musgrave (Port Moresby) and Charles Woodford (Solomon Islands), his relations with Albert and George Eichhorn, specimens of special interest, birds of paradise, ornithoptera (birdwing butterflies), the first Aroa River expedition (1903), the journey from the mountains to Port Moresby, Meek's return to the Solomon Islands (1903-4), the second Aroa River expedition (1904), the Bugi Mountains expedition (1905-6), the murder of a member of his party (April 1906), the death of W.G. Meek (1907), the expedition to the north-east coast of New Guinea (1907), receipt of equipment from Tring Museum, the question of a visit to Netherlands New Guinea, an expedition to the Solomon Islands and Bougainville (1907-8), Meek's impressions of Bougainville, and his reasons for not staying at San Cristoval...

Letters, 1909 - 1914 (File Items 216-290)

The letters refer to Meek's life on the Atherton Tablelands, his interest in exploring Dutch New Guinea, future collecting plans, the recruitment of labour, his arrival in Dutch New Guinea (May 1910), negotiations with local officials, the failure of the expedition led by Walter Goodfellow, the transport of specimens from the camp in the Snow Mountains in canoes over hundreds of rapids, collecting of birds and insects, new birds of paradise, fevers and other illnesses, financial arrangements, the despatch of collections, a journey to Island River, collecting in central Dutch New Guinea, differences between the birds discovered and those in British New Guinea, the difficulty of reaching high altitudes, the deaths of boys from beri-beri, Meek's return to Australia (1911), his interest in the New Hebrides and the Banks Group, his visit to England (1912), his return to New Guinea (1912-13), the condition of his boat Shamrock, collecting on Goodenough Island, new discoveries including various species of butterflies, an expedition to German New Guinea (1913), collecting at the Admiralty Islands (Bismarck Archipelago), the publication of A naturalist among the cannibals (1913) and plans for future collecting. From 1911 onwards there are also copies of letters from Ernst Hartert and Karl Jordan at Tring, mostly acknowledging the receipt of consignments and referring to the agreements between Walter Rothschild and Meek and new discoveries made by Meek...

Letters, 1915 - 1931 (File Items 291-382)

The correspondence between Meek and Albert Hartert and Karl Jordan refers to the possibility of further collecting by Meek, the interest of Walter Rothschild in New Guinea, the New Hebrides and Santa Cruz, Meek's long periods in hospital (1916-17) and his subsequent health problems, his decision to give up collecting and his employment by Burns, Philp & Company (1919), his work inspecting plantations in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, the termination of Meek's contract with Rothschild (1921), arrangements between Meek and Albert Eichhorn, Eichhorn's collecting expeditions to New Ireland, Bougainville, New Britain and the Bismarck Archipelago (1923-26), shipping difficulties, costs, the inferiority of his collections compared to those of Meek, the despatch of consignments to England, payments by the Tring Museum, requests for equipment, possible collecting by Eichhorn in the New Hebrides and the Solomon Islands, a stroke suffered by Eichhorn (1926), Meek's farm on the south coast of New South Wales, his meeting with Eichhorn (1929), the death of Eichhorn (1930), and the retirement of Hartert and his return to Germany. There are also several letters written by Eichhorn between 1925 and 1928 requesting ornithological publications relating to the New Guinea region, his plans for future collecting in New Britain, requests for equipment, his search for Delias (butterflies), the difficulties of collecting in mountainous areas, a proposed expedition to the New Guinea mainland, the protection of birds of paradise, and Eichhorn's condition following his stroke...