Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne

bot Garden

31/1/72

Private

1

Each page of the MS is headed ' Private .'

Hitherto, dear Dr Hooker, I have studiously avoided, to write to you at length about the difficulties, which since years have surrounded me in my Department, but I feel, that I owe it now to a Colleague, whose good opinion I value above all, that I should offer at least a few brief explanations, after the issue of a report of a Commission, which damages my professional standing and administration.

2

See W. Grieg and others to C. Duffy, 14 December 1871 (in this edition as M71-12-14).

The leading spirit of this Commission is a Josiah Mitchell, a Gardener of profession (not of much skill nor of any scientific knowledge) who I believe in a working position served for a short time at Kew many years ago. This arrogant man, who is lessee of the Gov Experimental farm, has since years persecuted me, together with a person, who is horticultural and agricultural conductor of Mr Edw Wilsons papers

3

Not identified.

since about 2 years, both with a forest Inspector

4

William Ferguson.

(who never inspects the forests), forming a trio, some time since living in each others immediate neighbourhbood at Flemington, where a kind of conspiration was entered into, to deprive me of the administration of the bot Garden.

Not only was for years by this clique and a few partisans of theirs (many united by masonic ties) every thing surpressed or misrepresented what I did, for advancing my institution, but what I could not do with existing means was construed into ignorance Being prevented by the Civil Service Regulations to defend myself, these individuals "wrote me down" methodically and succeeded to some extent to mislead the unthinking part of the community. Ministers have never any time as a rule to give attentions to Departments like mine; hence they never or scarcely ever visit the Ground, and are readily misled. By the inexpressible meanness of one of Mr Wilson's present employees, (then on the Age)

5

Melbourne newspaper.

together with the secret and open agitation of his partisans, it was brought so far that a Commission was appointed to enquire into the working of my Department, and to make the humiliation still greater and the conduct of my former Ministerial Chief (M'Culloch) still more disgraceful, actually this Josiah Mitchell was appointed in spite of my protest to the Board! These things can only happen in a young colony with universal suffrage, and yet in last session all sections of our local Parliament stood up for me with exception of J. T. Smith, who is well known to Mess Wilson & M'Kinnon.

6

Lauchlan MacKinnon.

As a matter of course this board of "foregone conclusion" particularly after the death of Mr Hammill, its first Chairman, distorted much my administrive action. The most hostile and ignorant were among the witnesses examined; I was only once for an hour before the board, but furnished my reports; and had no opportunity to go even with these people in their various inspections through the Ground.

The forest Inspector meanwhile seized as an independent usurpator in the rudest way on my horticultural administration; he never comes near me [or] to my office, except when he gets from my accountant his monthly pay. Thus by his unacquaintance no end of the rarest plants are lost, all progressive work has been almost at a stand still and confusion & extensive ruin has been the result! The defense of my position against all sorts of machinations broke my health and exhausted my remaining strength, and absorbed more time than would have sufficed to write several volumes of my work. Cunningly Mr Wilson and others are told, that they want to relieve me of the drudgery of the garden work, while their secret aim has been and still is to deprive me of my Directorship, or to reduce it to a mere title or farce.

Now no one knows better, than yourself, that all branches of a department like mine are closely interwoven, and to break up a Department like this into two might just be compared to the breaking of the back of a ship and yet to expect that the rigging &c is to work. If there had been a real intention to help me, a declared adversary of low behaviour (fined even while he is here as Curator for drunkenness in the Police Court) need not have been forced upon me and I could have selected a Curator myself. I had always good Gardeners under me, but better than the forest Inspector (who has made his appointment a sinecure) Fancy also that I have now for the 300 acres (all laid out) only £4000 - -, including my own starvation income, all expenses for laboratory[,]

7

Obscured by binding.

museum, publications and the nurseries which have to turn out annually about 60,000 plants (half in pots). Then I am on absolute rocks in most places, exposed to floods, exposed to hot winds, must raise river water by steam at great cost, have no manure nor good soil near &c How can I support a curator out of such a rate. Why he would consume the sum, which pays three working gardeners now. I have only 20 men in the whole department Wages are here 8/ for 8 hours. See the differen[ce]

8

Obscured by binding.

Be it enough ! But I must speak out.

Parklands, reserved since 20 years by Mr Latrobe, within half a mile of the garden and surrounded by 5 thriving towns, are left unplanted, yet what is called illogically landscape garden, is to be the rule here by an intruder

9

The paragraph is written in the margin of the last page of the letter.

My professional pride revolts against any receding from the Directorship, even if my position thereby did not become ruined! Imagine how I am stultified before the whole world

10

The paragraph is written in the margin of the third page of the letter.

It is not likely that Mr Duffy and his Colleagues will act on the report. I have just written my defense.

11

M to C. Duffy, 6 February 1872.

I have not done a single thing that I regret. I built not even a private room for my domestic comfort at my office. I can show £98000 of permanent property and spent all my time, all my means (about £8000 - -) in the Department which I could not have done had I been married.

12

The paragraph is written in the margin of the first page of the letter.