Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS written by Carl Wilhelmi and signed by M.

Melbourne bot. & zoolog. Garden.

3 July 1860.

Sir

I have the honor of submitting to you a brief report on the progress of work on this establishment during the month of June.

The old roads and tracks in the reserve have been, as far as this season means were available, obliterated and have been sown with Clover and rye grass.

The walks in the central part of the garden have been improved and partially widened, whilst very extensive lines of the Chamomile edgings, exhausted through many years growth, have been renewed. A beginning has been made to lay out the ground around the office building, for receiving picturesque groups of shrubs intermixed with some of the most valuable varieties of vine and fruit trees; by the introduction of these latter to the gardens we hope to satisfy to some extent the inquieries everywhere raised as to our vine and orchard resources, and to learn by experiment what varieties are best adopted for the environs of this city.

An avenue of Elms has been established, an other of Sugar Mapples, and a third of spreading poplars, a fourth of Powlonias

2

Paulownias?

is under progress of formation; it being the intention to augment throughout the Ground the already great variety of tree-lines, so that visitors in due course of time may judge, which particular species of tree is preferable in a climate like that of Port Phillip. Some surprise has been occasionally manifested as to my not adopting Oakes, Limes and Horse chesnuts for the same purpose. The trees however, scattered throughout our ground of these particular kinds, may prove at once to any careful observer, that nothing could surpass the trist appearance of the Oak, (with dead leaves adhering to it during the most verdant season of the year) and of the Lime and Horse chessnut the foliage of which is here burned up at the first hot wind in the summer. These particular trees, altho' well adopted for being intermixed with those, which nature created in the zone of evergreen vegetation both in the northern and southern hemisphere, could not be judiciously or tastfully placed along our lawn walks, altho' they may be used advantageously for lining some of our public streets. Many kinds again prospering in any moist river vallies, are found to be inadopted for so exposed a locality as this garden.

A variety of plants calculated to form natural hedges, have been raised, that their relative value for the purpose of enclosing large areas of land may be ascertained.

A great number of plants and very extensive lots of seeds have been distributed chiefly to public institutions throughout the month; and altho' I have exercised my best judgement in the quality and quantity of supplies available this season and have with impartiality discriminated between those, who were and were not entitled to contributions from the public property placed in my charge, I regret, of having, whilst the claims made on us were many a time neither just nor reasonable, not always given satisfaction: Nor is it at times without regret, that we are for the sake of promoting an interest in this establishment obliged to receive donations of animals, plants or seeds; in as much as these are not always offered with the patriotic view of adding to the common good of this place, but not rarely with selfish motives.

A bower, as a shady resting place, has just been finished for one of the lawns.

In the northern Ground we continue to fill up the undulations, in which so much of the rain water remains stagnant during the wet season.

Many pair of singing birds have been distributed to Gentlemen, which have constructed aviaries sufficiently spacious, as to render their breeding likely.

Of 150 larks shipped pr Sussex by Mr Wilson only 7 arrived alive. One Llama was born, it being the 18th added to our number, showing that whilst we prove these creatures to be well adopted to this country, we can also show a valuable increase of public property on this establishment. If the sustenance of animals kept here on public expense is rigorously restricted to useful species , we have reason to hope, that the comparatively small outlay for them will produce gratifyingly a proportionate good. With this view I shall have the honor of soliciting from your Honor, to be permitted, as soon as a quorum of the zoological Committee will approve of my suggestions, that out of the £500. -. - placed by Government at our disposal for the introduction of animals in 1860,

3

Marginal annotation, probably by Nicholson: 'Query? is this vote not sent to Mr Wilson?'.

£400. -. - may be allowed to be devoted for Salmon importation; for which latter purpose it fortunately happens we enjoy now Mr Blacks experience, who is at present in Hobarton and will most probably be employed by the Tasmanian Government in a new mission for ova.

4

Alexander Black; see notes to M to J. Milligan, 18 June 1860. Marginal annotation, probably by Nicholson: 'See letter from the Tasmanian Govt seeking cooperation of this Colony'. See W. Henty to M, 30 June 1860 (in this edition as 60-06-30a).

It appears, considering the vast importance attaching itself to the importation of so valuable a fish, that simultaneously with Tasmania also in Victoria an effort may be made to bring the Salmon to our shores, particularly as the Gippsland river seem highly suitable for permanently establishing these fishes there. We have moreover the opportunity, of availing ourselfes of the services of Mr Ramsbottom junior for the introduction of the Salmon, who was for many years engaged with his father in restocking exhausted rivers in Britain; and an estimate of coast and plan of operation, which I elaborated in conjunction with that Gentleman, will be laid early before your Honor.

Two Black Swans have been shipped to the zoological Garden of Regents Park free of expense by the good officer Capt. Charleton, the Commander of the "Maidstone", hares being asked as an equivalent. Wires have been drawn across the lagoon in the Northern ground to separate some of the water birds and a floating woodflat has been constructed to afford to the white Swans, a good place for incubation. A Ostrich shipped for this establishment from Cape town died on the voyage.

The Case for conveying the Guaramiers

5

An indigenouous Mauritian fish.

from Mauritius went to Port Louis to be refilled by the kindness of Capt. Russell of the "Grecian Queen". Mr. Thwaites, Director of the botanic Garden and botanic Museum of Paradenia,

6

Peradeniya, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

has announced the shipment of a valuable contribution of Ceylon plants to our herbarium pr "Marion".

Professor Asa Gray added to our collections a valuable collection of N. American plants during the month. All this material is of high importance for the critical study of our own vegetation, which is now carried out under the auspices of the Victorian Government. Of the flora of this colony

7

B62.03.03.

the sheet comprising an essay on our

Pittosporeae

Search for Pittosporeae in

• This website
• Australian Plant Name Index

passed through the press in June. The plates for two volumens of the work are now nearly completed. The 13 No. of the Fragmenta phytogr. Austr.

8

B60.08.01.

is commenced. In the schedule of estimates for 1861, which I had the honor of submitting to Government, I have ventured to place the large sum of £1600. -. - for securing certain botanical collections,

9

Marginal annotation, probably by Nicholson: 'Inquire about this'. M wished to purchase William Sonder’s herbarium; see M to W. Nicholson, 1 November 1859, and Short (1990), pp. 8–10.

obtainable at present in Europe, and which would be of immense and incalcualable value for the independent scientific working of myself and of my successors for centuries; if your Honor would permit me to wait on you in order to explain on this question my views, which enjoy the gracious support of his Excellency the Governor, I should regard it as an extreme favor.

The Honorable the Chief Secretary

&c&c&c

10

MS file annotation by Nicholson, 16 July 1860: 'read'.