Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne botanic Garden,

2 June 1862

Sir

I do myself the honor of adressing you, as the Chief of this Department, under which the botanic Garden is placed, for the purpose of submitting to your favorable consideration the views, which I entertain in reference to the practical administration of the horticultural branch of the establishment, over which I have the honor to exercise the Directorship.

I feel it my duty to adress you, Sir, on this subject as through a part of the public press is has been repeatedly urged, that the horticultural surveillance of the botanic Garden should not devolve on its Director, but on a special Curator.

1

A number of critical editorials and letters about the lack of a curator appeared in The farmer's journal and gardener's chronicle, often coupled with the nurserymen's complaints of plant distributions from the Botanic garden (see M. to J. O'Shanassy, 14 May 1862). See, for example, the editorials of 5 April 1862, pp. 11-12 and 31 May 1862, pp. 12-13, and the letter from 'Platanus', 12 April 1862, pp. 12-13. The letter from 'Tabernae Montana', 24 May 1862, pp. 10-11, included the issue of a separate curator amidst a diatribe about M's naming practices; this letter was published also in the Age, 23 May 1862, p. 7.

May I then be permitted to state, that the arrangements adopted by me, when the botanic Garden formed a branch establishment of the Office of public Lands and which received then the sanction of the Government, have hitherto remained in force, namely that a foreman, who however holds not a permanent appointment, superintends the details of the work in each department of the Garden & carries in his grounds out the orders of the Director & is responsible for the work of himself & the men under him to the Director of the Garden.

I can firmly assert, that this system has worked well during the 5 years of my Directorship, as it has caused a spirit of emulation amongst the superior employées of the garden, from which the establishment derived much advantage. It has afforded me also the means to place each superior gardener of this establishment exactly in that position, in which he could exercise his special abilities to the greatest advantage.

I do therefore not see the remotest reason, why the public complaints about the administration of the horticultural branch of this department have arisen; nor can I percieve, how I could improve the arrangements now in force by raising any one of the gardeners now here employed to a general superintendent or by drawing a not employed gardener to such a post from any part of Victoria, as the foremen now engaged in the garden are all trustworthy and talented practical gardeners.

Hence I cannot suppress my persuasion, that the complaints, which the press has promulgated against the establishment, have arisen in order to promote the selfish aspiration of people, desirous of seeing the Curator's office, which for a long time past only pro forma existed, continued.

In thus frankly expressing my view, I believe, that I only am fulfilling my official duty toward the ministerial head of the Department.

Should the honorable, the Chief Secretary, however be pleased, to provide again for the office of a curator the requisite salary, I would then beg leave to suggest, that such an office should be entrusted to a Gentleman, selected by Dr Sir William Hooker of Kew. I should then be able on behalf and under the approval of the Government to point out to the Curator the precise duties devolving on him previous to his engagement, duties which would solely consist in superintending the practical details of the garden work under some general superintendence of the Director, to whom the Curator should be responsible. It is perhaps unnecessary to point out to you Sir, that altho' I do not percieve the necessity of such an arrangement being made for a new appointment, yet should a strong wish for such be expressed by Parliament, we would reap the greatest advantage then in securing the services through Sir Will. Hooker of a Gentleman, who would be fully posted up in all the very recent improvements & discoveries made in Gardening not merely (as we are here by journals) but by practically gained knowledge, who would have seen the working of all recently invented horticultural machinery, would have seen all the recently introduced plants of British gardens & conservatories, and would as now to the Gardeners personal in and out of our establishment here be much freer to effect his arrangements of details, than any one whom we could here appoint.

May I also add, that I would regard the separation of the botanical & horticultural department a great difficulty, in as much as the whole transactions & correspondence of the Department are so combined, that it will in most instances be impossible to discriminate where the duties of the scientific and of the practical Officer commences & ceases. Feeling that in my general Directorship over the Garden I may continue to be serviceable to the country & having brought all the branches of the Garden into excellent working order, I am solicitous to ask that I may continue in the whole exercise of the duties assigned to me at this garden during the last five years.

The honorable the Chief Secretary

&c. &c. &c.

2

On 7 June 1862 the Under Secretary, J. Moore, minuted: 'This has been read by Mr O'Shanassy — It was forwarded by Dr Mueller in anticipation of a discussion in Parliament which did not take place'.