Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne bot. & zool. Garden,

4. Oct. 1861

Sir

In submitting a brief report on the work in this establishment during the past month I beg to observe, that now the new fencings of wrought iron around the botanic Garden (proper) have been completed, the line just finished descending from the western gate to the Yarra and has been made in accordance with the great fall of the ground. Pipes are fixed at the new cistern, which receives the rain-water from the roof of the Museum-building, so that now a supply of water for horses &c is available in that portion of the ground, without resorting to the tedious process of drawing it from the Yarra.

One of the principle new arrangements effected during the month is the transfer of the care for the Palmhouse to the former propagator (J. Walters

1

i.e. Watters.

), whose place has been taken in the propagating department by Mr Coller, a most excellent well tried gardener, since 4 years in the employ of this establishment. Mr Heyne, who has for several years most creditably managed the work of the Palmhouse, is now amanuensis at my office and whilst relieved of a considerable portion of clerical work by this arrangement, I can concentrate in future more time upon literary work. During the last weeks all my sparetime has been absorbed in preparations for the exhibition.

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Victorian Exhibition, October 1861, in preparation for the London International Exhibition, 1862.

For many volatile oils the material has been furnished and the labelling sorting and setting up of the timber and other specimens has been effected.

The special garden work varied so little from ordinary routine business, that I presume it will be unnecessary to specify the nature of the work. Several rare kinds of pine have sprung up in the nursery from seeds imported. Of the Abyssinian

Musa Ensete

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, a very gigantic Banana plant, we received a specimen from the Sydney botanic Garden together with several other valuable plants new to this establishment;— from the botanic Garden of Ceylon we received the seeds of the Musa, which furnished the fibre for the Manilla rope. The

Lawsonia

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, a valuable Indian hedge plant, and the W. Australian Mahagony

Eucalyptus

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have been raised from seeds, also several valuable American oaks. We shipped to Manilla for interchange a Wardian Case with plants. From the Director of the botanic Garden of Amsterdam, Professor Miquel, and from the Director of the botanic Garden of Upsala, Professor Areschoug, we rejoyced to receive some very valuable contributions to the herbarium, contributions which after centuries will still be regarded as important, in as much as the specimens are authenticated by these great men.

Some zoological Contributions I have also to acknowledge, mainly due to the exertions of the Gentlemen connected with the P. & O. S.N. Company.

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Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

Amongst the contributions are a female Elk, 2 Ceylon deer of the smallest species, the musk deer, also a Chinese rough-haired deer. The Alpacas born during the last weeks, 6 in number, are the offsprings of the recently intruded males, some of the young ones showing a remarkably fine fleece.

The work in the reserve between Princes Bridge and the garden is favorably progressing; the old tracks are now all nearly obliterated and grass and clover sown on the formerly bare spots.

The work on the flora of the colony

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B62.02.01.

will be resumed with new vigour, now after the preparations for the exhibition are mainly completed. Some lithographic illustrations for this work were printed during the month.

I beg to avail myself of this opportunity to solicit your approval of adding the reserve in the North side of the Yarra as a permanent possession to the area of the botanic Garden, a proposition which is favorably entertained by the honorable the President of the Board of Land and Works and also by the Gentlemen of the zoologic Committee. This piece of ground being so near the new Governments offices will often be traversed by those servants of the state, who have their private dwellings in South Yarra and Prahran; it is moreover the only basaltic ground within the area of this establishment and thereby doubly valuable as an adjunct to the gardens, whilst with the labor at our disposal we can keep the ground as a Park of rare trees readily in order without any special cost to the Government.

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Heales referred M's letter to the Commissioner of Crown Lands & Survey, J. Brooke, on 8 October 1861. Brooke commented on 25 October: '[Land] to be [temporarily] reserved in addition to land already reserved for Botanic Garden'. The Assistant Commissioner for Crown Lands & Survey, C. Hodgkinson, referred the file back to M on 25 October: 'to note the concurrence of the Honble the Commr of Lands & Survey in the temporary reservation for addition to the Botanical Garden of site previously set apart in the use of the Zoological Society.' M returned the file to the Assistant Commissioner 'most gratefully' on 29 October, and it was returned to the Chief Secretary on 1 November.

The honorable the Chief Secretary

&c&c&c