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No. 1436, unit 732, VPRS 3181/P Town Clerk's file series 1, VA 511 Melbourne, Public Record Office, Victoria. 66.03.23Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to Edmund FitzGibbon, 1866-03-23. 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//letters/1860-9/1866/66-03-23-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026
23/3/66
You are perhaps not aware, dear Mr Fitzgibbon, that shooting is going on day & night
in the Richmond paddock in
your
municipal ground. This has become lately so frequent & intolerable, that not the remotest
chance exists of any water fowl revisiting my lake. I believe that all the
English
duck which had become by hundreds wild on the Garden lake have been destroyed. Moreover
the greatest possible laxity
exists in reference to the surveillance over the dogs; & the dog act seems a dead
letter. I have over & over been obliged to send my people out in the midst of the
night, to drive off all the dogs or to share in this work myself & many a night sleep
has been impossible to me in consequence of the incessant barking of the dogs around
the few remaining waterfowl.
May I beg then that you will kindly direct the police to see to the upholding of order
in this direction.
I do not like to make the [nuisance] known through the acclimation Society, being
well aware that you are ready to suppress the mischief when informed of it.
1
On 24 March 1866, FitzGibbon wrote to the Chief Commissioner of Police, F. Standish,
informing him that M had complained about shooting in the Richmond Paddock and barking
dogs depleting the numbers of water fowl in the Botanic Garden (Unit 5, VPRS 1199
inward correspondence, VA 724 Victoria Police, Public Record Office, Victoria). FitzGibbon
asked Standish to direct the police occupying the old station buildings near the river,
or any constables on duty, 'to arrest any person using fire arms there [in the park]
or interfering with the birds, or the property of the public'.
Standish referred FitzGibbon's letter on 26 March 1868 to Francis Hare, who reported on 27 March: 'There is no shooting carried on near the "old station buildings"
but I frequently hear shots in the paddock near the Richmond road (punt road) perhaps
the Chief Commissioner would request Thomas Lyttleton to direct the Constables on
duty on this locality to keep a watch about dusk every evening, & at day-break in
the morning & they will have but little difficulty in arresting persons offending
against this law'. On 27 March Lyttleton commented: 'I have attended to this, & directed
Sgt Robinson to place a man in plain clothes to watch for persons firing' (Unit 5,
VPRS 1199, Public Record Office, Victoria; for a copy see No. 750/3/66, unit 11, p.
638, VPRS 4025/P, Public Record Office, Victoria).
See also E. FitzGibbon to M, 24 March 1866, in which FitzGibbon informed M of the steps that had been taken.
Your regardful
Ferd Mueller,
Will the City Council not aid in the willow planting? We can remove the trees at any
time should the embankments be cut away.