Ferdinand von Mueller

File notes indicate that on 12 October 1866, the Under Secretary, J. Moore, sent M the form, requesting him 'to fill up the blanks in the prefixed state; which he will then return to this office'. M replied on 15 October, 'Request complied with'. On 3 January 1867, Moore sent the document to the Commissioners of Audit with the request that they check it. On 10 January, the Commissioners returned it, commenting 'The Return is correct with the exception of the following items out of Contingent Votes in which our Books differ with it’, and indicating discrepancies in authority numbers 109, 436, 187, 348 and 404. On 15 January, M was asked to 'point out in what respect the Balances on his Books differ from those on the Books of the Commissioners of Audit', and he replied on 21 January: 'The discrepancies between the balances contained in the books of the Audit Commissioners & those of my department arose through the Commissioners having counted halfpennies which had been struck out by the Treasury Department (Auth. 187 & 104 [i.e. 404]) An account charged to Auth. 348 has as yet not been paid, which causes another difference, and a clerical error in my Department gave rise to a discrepancy of 3/ in the authority for purchase of plants.'

The amounts have been amended on the document as indicated in footnotes to these items, bringing them into line with the Commissioners' records.