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No. 1538, unit 732, VPRS 3181/P Town Clerk's file series 1, VA 511 Melbourne, Public Record Office, Victoria. 66.05.11Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to Edmund FitzGibbon, 1866-05-11. 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/1860-9/1866/66-05-11-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026
11/5/66
Dear Mr Fitzgibbon
Have you be so kind to prepare a short notification to the Inspector General of public
works or myself respecting the approaches to the garden bridge?
Bear kindly in mind, that every day loss of dry weather will render the raising of
the mass of soil needed more difficult. I believe only your notification of assent
is wanted & the contracts will be accepted.
1
See also M to the Mayor of Melbourne, 7 May 1866, and M to the Chairman, Public Works Committee, 15 May 1866.
2
On 11 May the City Surveyor, John Reilly, wrote to the Mayor of Melbourne: 'Having
examined the plans of approach from footbridge over Yarra; I have the honor to inform
you, that it would be injudicious to permit the approach to be made as suggested by
Dr Mueller inasmuch as he simply proposes to run a narrow curved embankment from the
end of the Bridgeway through the Botanical Gardens, on to Anderson Street, thereby
embanking a portion of the street, without filling up said street from the River southward,
to meet the required drainage and formation as originally intended. i could not therefore
recommend any interference with the present level of the street unless the whole of
its width was formed to a proper incline to carry off the storm water.' (No. 1566,
unit 732, VPRS 3181, Public Record Office, Victoria).
your regardful
Ferd Mueller.