The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne, botanic Garden, ¶ 4/9/72 ¶ Sir ¶ ¶ I have the honor to request, that the votes for the botanic Garden and Gov. House Domain may not be reported this evening, but be postponed, with a view ...

Document information

Physical location:

H72/19017, unit 750, VPRS 44/P inward registered and unregistered correspondence, VA 538 Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Public Record Office, Victoria. 72.09.04

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to James Casey, 1872-09-04. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/72-09-04>, accessed September 11, 2025

See also M to J. Casey, 4 September 1872 (in this edition as 72-09-04a).

Melbourne, botanic Garden,

4/9/72

Sir

I have the honor to request, that the votes for the botanic Garden and Gov. House Domain may not be reported this evening, but be postponed, with a view of giving me time to send to you a reply to the recommendations of Mr Hodgkinson, regarding the intended ruinous disruption of my Department, as I never knew of his Report until I saw it to day in the Argus.

Argus, 4 September 1872, p. 5, see also p. 6. On 19 August, Hodgkinson presented Casey (as requested) with suggestions for the future management of the Botanic Garden and of park land in the Government House Reserve. Hodgkinson recommended that ground devoted to scientific and practical gardening should in future be definitely demarcated from ground to be embellished 'with the most approved principles of landscape gardening', that the Garden should be restricted to an area comprising 78 acres, 1 rood and 8 perches, that the existing 'frequent repetition' of the same kinds of plants in borders 'should be obliterated' and arrangements made for displaying 'near the walks, plants carefully grouped with a view to comparison of different species of each genus, and of different varieties of species', that economic uses for plants should be indicated in plant labels, that the Gardens should remain under M's control 'on the understanding that one of the most important purposes to be fulfilled by the garden is to be the affording of practical information and examples to those persons who desire to devote land in Victoria to novel objects of culture', and that M should also control about ten acres of land in the Upper Yarra district for experimental plantings. Hodgkinson thought the 200 acres of the Botanic Gardens Reserve and Government House Reserve ought to be redesigned by competition and modified 'to afford a good example of landscape gardening with the minimum amount of interference with such trees as Baron von Mueller has planted in such area.' With regard to W. Ferguson, Hodgkinson recommended that 'his services could be most advantageously utilized by the devotion of the major portion of his time to the rearing, in the cheap and efficient manner practised in large State establishments on the continent of Europe, large quantities of useful timber trees of kinds that have been found by experience to thrive well in Victoria.' These trees would be distributed around Victoria and Ferguson could visit plantations so established and advise local managers about them. The nursery could be established on land contiguous to the Macedon Railway Station. Hodgkinson recommended that ornamental distributions from the Botanic Gardens cease, and that no plants be distributed without the authority of the Minister of Agriculture. As a result of these changes a smaller vote could be given to M for the management of the Gardens. Hodgkinson also recommended that money voted by the Commissioner of Public Works which M intended to use for additions to his museum building (£350), conservatories and other buildings (£425), painting and repairs (£125), tank (£300) and garden seats (£150) should with 'due deference' to M, be mainly used 'for the work necessary for the thorough reclamation and improvement, in accordance with the best principles of landscape gardening, of the swampy ground between the Yarra and the Government House hill' (K72/19018, unit 750, VPRS 44/P, Public Record Office, Victoria). Hodgkinson later stated that he had made this report 'solely in compliance with a positive order' (H72/23262, unit 750, VPRS 44/P, Public Record Office, Victoria).

My own estimate for Gov. House Reserve was only for one man and about half of the time of the carter and for a few orphans, altogether not more than £200 whereas now £1,315 have been withdrawn besides the salary of £160 for my only clerk.

I can provide the Government with my counter report in a day or two.

I have the honor to be,

Sir, your obedient servant

Ferd. von Mueller

MS file annotation initialled by Casey, 10 September 1872: 'Inform the Government Botanist that the request he has made with a view to impede the progress of Government measures through Parliament is not only unusual but displays a want of acquaintance with the relation that should subsist between the Government and the members of the Public Service in British Governed Communities — The attention of the Government has been called in Parliament to the fact that the Government Botanist is in the habit of complaining to members of the Legislature of the proposals or what he assumes to be the proposals of the Government in matters appertaining to his Department. He must be aware that Officers of the Civil Service are expected to render the Government an earnest and willing support and any attempt to obstruct the policy of the Government for the time being is not only inconsistent with his continuance in the Public Service but highly detrimental to its discipline the injurious effects of which become aggravated in proportion to the rank of the Officer. In consequence of the matter having been brought prominently under the notice of the Assembly when the votes for the Agricultural Department were under consideration and the Honorable The Chief Secretary having given an assurance to the House that such practices would be authoritatively prohibited — I have now to direct the Government Botanist's attention to Hansard p. 12, 13, 14 No. 16 and to express a hope that no occasion will arise that will render it necessary to pursue the course there indicated'. See Victorian parliamentary debates, Assembly, September 4, 1872, p. 1214, where J. Francis 'as head of the Government', warned that the Government wanted Mueller to 'understand that the kind of violation of the rules of the civil service of which he had been guilty would not be permitted; and if it was not discontinued, the Government were perfectly prepared to accept the responsibility of dealing with him in the proper manner'.