Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Enclosure to Despatch no. 56, of 24 July 1863.

COPY

Melbourne Botanic Garden

15 July 1863.

Sir Henry,

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a case with four kinds of soil and some vine-cuttings, transmitted by direction of His Grace the Duke of Newcastle to this colony, and entrusted by your Excellency to my care. In reporting on the contents of the case I beg to observe, that the cuttings lost their vitality by exsiccation during the long passage to this port, inasmuch as the soil, into which they were placed in Spain was originally already quite dry. It would however not be difficult to Her Majesty's Vice-Consul at Xeres de la Frontera, who has evinced such a zealous desire of aiding in the introduction of certain valuable kinds of Vines from Spain into this Colony, to effect this object successfully, if rooted plants were selected and these packed into a Wardian Case for transmission to our shores.

2

Barkly in his despatch suggested that M's advice be followed. A further attempt to introduce Spanish vines 'in compliance with the wish expressed by Dr Mueller ... in the manner suggested by him' (Duke of Newcastle to Governor Darling, National Archives, London, CO 411/8, f. 120) occurred in 1864. The attempt was only partially successful; see M to H. Warde, 13 August 1864.

The soils obtained on this occasion I regard as highly acceptable and interesting for comparison with ours, in order that in future experiments the appropriate geological formation and the soil therefrom derived may be chosen for the culture of such vines, as are dependent on these and certain climatic relations for retaining their peculiarities.

If it meets with your Excellency's approval, I will have the honor of effecting the quantitative chemical analysis of these soils through the Board of Agriculture.

His Excellency

Sir Henry Barkly K.C.B.,

&c &c