The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Stategarden, Melbourne 6/4/67. ¶ Honorable and dear Sir ¶ ¶ A desire having been evinced by the Government to transfer the establishment, entrusted to my administration, from the Department of the ho...

Document information

Physical location:

O67/4247, unit 750, VPRS 44/P inward registered and unregistered correspondence, VA 538 Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Public Record Office, Victoria. 67.04.06

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to James Grant, 1867-04-06. 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/1860-9/1867/67-04-06-final.odt>, accessed June 9, 2026

MS written by C. Wilhelmi and signed by M.

Annotation in unknown hand: 'Put by for the President'. The Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey, C. Hodgkinson, minuted on 7 May 1867: 'noted by the Honble the President of the Bd of L & W & returned to me'.

There is a second copy of this letter, in a different hand and with some editing in M's hand, at VPRS 1207, Treasury inward correspondence, unit 394, letter no. 67/5718, Public Record Office, Victoria. This was forwarded by the Under Treasurer, E. Symonds, to the Chief Secretary on 14 May 1867. McCulloch in turn forwarded it on 20 May to 'the Hon. the President of Board of Land & Works' [i.e. James Grant!], who duly noted and returned it to the Chief Secretary's Office. It was eventually returned to Treasury on 6 August.

Stategarden, Melbourne 6/4/67.

Honorable and dear Sir

A desire having been evinced by the Government to transfer the establishment, entrusted to my administration, from the Department of the honorable the Chief Secretary

At the beginning of April 1867 the Chief Secretary, J. McCulloch, sent a memorandum to Grant, suggesting: 'The Vote for Botanic Gardens at Geelong and other country places being under the control of the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey as also the Vote for Public Parks and Gardens I see no reason why the Botanic Gardens at Melbourne should continue under the control of the Chief Secretary and I therefore propose if Mr Grant sees no objection to transfer the vote for that establishment to the Department of Crown Lands and Survey' (O67/3816, unit 750 VPRS 44/P, Public Record Office, Victoria). M was asked for his opinion.

to yours,

In the Treasury copy, 'yours' is deleted and replaced by 'that of the Hon. the Presid. of the Lands Department'.

I take the earliest opportunity to explain to you succinctly the objects of my institution, and submit respectfully some suggestions for its permanent wellworking, economic management and manner of administration.

Objects of the establishment .

1., Maintenance of a large garden, with parks, conservatories, water plantations etc. for public recreation and instruction, extent 400 acres.

2., Maintenance of large nurseries to continue to supply as hitherto from 60,000 to 70,000 plants annually for exclusively public plantations free of cost.

3., Maintenance of plantations established for future forest culture and extension of agriculture, by rearing also in future and transferring to the ranger in masses Quinine trees, teashrubs, corkoaks, coffee plants, mahagonitrees, red cedar, the best of pines, dye oaks etc.

4., Maintenance of an experimental garden in one of the fern tree gullies at or near Dandenong and finally in East Gippsland, on the Alps and in the Murray desert.

5., Maintenance of seed magazine for supplying as before largely public institutions with seeds of trees and shrubs and for continuing to effect interchanges with similar institutions all over the globe.

6. Maintenance and enlargement of library for phytologic research.

7. Maintenance and extension of phytographic Museum, requiring one collector constantly to be in the field. The Director commenced these collections in 1840 and continued them ever since. They are sole state property, though to a large extent his private Donations

requiring one collector …his private Donations marginal addition by Wilhelmi

an institution altogether different in its object from the vegetable branch of the intended industrial Museum, over which branch however the Director of the State-garden should exercise sole but gratuitous control and administration, to bring his professial

professional?

knowledge and resources without interference to bear on its development.

8., Maintenance of the phytochemical Laboratory for further researches into the adaptability of vegetable (raw) material for export or local fabrication, such as oils, tar, vinegar, wood alcohol, dyes, potash, soda, bromine, jodine,

iodine?

paper material, tanners material, gums, resins, barks, timber etc. medicinal substances etc.

9., Continuation of three literary works, viz: on the universal vegetation of Australia (three volumes hitherto published under the editorship of the President of the Linnean Society of London in English); — of the fragmenta phytographiae Australiae (written in Latin for all nations) — 5 volumes already published —; and "plants of Victoria" two volumes published, the two latter works illustrated and sole property of the Government for sale and interchanges with libraries or as gifts of acknowledgement for services rendered. No monetary advantages whatever accrue to the Director therefrom, his private copies being bought by himself.

10., Maintenance of Office for information, as exemplified by daily correspondence, investigations, support to scientific institutions in the colony and abroad, labours for exhibitions, boards etc. all this information requiring as in former years to be sought in Europe and being no longer available within the colony, were we to discontinue the Office for the proper occupation of which an University Education is need

Item 10 is a marginal addition by Wilhelmi with 'were we to discontinue the Office for the proper occupation of which an University Education is need.' in M's hand. In the Treasury copy, this whole paragraph is in M's hand, and the section after 'available within the colony' is 'should such an Office, for which University Education is needed, not longer exist.'

II.

Expenditure of the Establishment .

Salary of the responsible Director

£500

Out of this the dignity of the Office here and abroad will have to be maintained and daily expenses for the Department to be incurred, which cannot be recovered.

Out of this the dignity … which cannot be recovered. marginal addition by Wilhelmi.

(A reduction of £110. is here for economy's sake recommended)

Wages to Attendents at the General Office, Museum, Laboratory etc. to Gardeners, Traveller, Carters, Carpenter, Painter, Labourers, Signwriter, Messenger, Gardenboys, Museumboys, Laboratory boy, men from Immigrants-home, Experimental cultivator in the Ranges and for small repairs to Blacksmith's, farriers, bricklayers, tinsmith's etc together

£4000

(This sum cannot be diminished unless some branch of the Establishment is discontinued or until the general wages for efficient labor still further sink in this part of the globe.) If the distribution of plants and seeds to public institutions in the colony (not for interchanges) is discontinued £350. annually may be saved. If the custom of providing cutflowers for public decorations could be given up an other £50. might be saved. The sale of plants I cannot recommend, as it would interfere unduely with the business of the many respectable trading nurserymen. Workhours of the employées 10. Holidays 4, with payment, others without payment.

No furlong

furlough?

except for collecting purposes in the field, but not for amusement. Sundays no wages except for special duty.

Wages kept at such a standard, as to admit employées to connect themselves with relief institutions.

Thus no wages paid in illness, unless such directly arises from exposure in the service or accidents while on duty. Rate of wages: Gardeners of first rank 8 shill., of second rank 7. shill. Senior labourers 6 shill; junior labourers 5. shill. Boys 2/6d to 3. shill.

Purchase of plants and seeds £150 viz: Museum plants, seeds of grasses etc. for lawns and parks and such plants of rarety and high commercial value as can not be obtained by ordinary interchanges.

Expense of publishing works on Australian plants £350. Of this £100. is the annually subsidy for the universal work published in Britain. 30 copies being obtained as an equivalent. £150. is expended annually on the lithographic drawings and about £100. on the lithographic printing to illustrate the two other works. If this vote is discontinued no more plates can be prepared, though the issue of the letterpress may be continued at the Government printing Office.

If the author is not discouraged and his time is not encroached on by unnecessary demands on his attention and only needed simply by the responsible administration being left to his own direct views without interference, he will have the necessary time to produce one volume each year.

Store vote

£420

This provides bricks and tiles, wood for fences, seats and buildings etc., drainpipes, waterpipes, Museum material (in which paper & pastboards for the extensive collections now 300,000. specimens already) is always a heavy item, — paint and tar for fences, buildings, seats etc., tools for all the ground, flowerpots, of which very many thousands are needed every year, callico for screens of the roofs of conservatories and for the many nursery beds of select plants, stationary for the office, cement for tanks, chemicals and instruments for laboratory etc. The vote admits of no reduction.

Forage for horses, and water – and singing birds –

£220.

Two carthorses are constantly kept at earthwork and stable-fed, a third horse periodically,

periodically inserted by M here but not in Treasury copy.

all for strict Government service periodically. Some hay being obtained in the garden-ground and reserves, the vote suffices to keep birds for singing and embellishment.

No carnivorous or ferocious animals are kept. Interchanges of waterbirds are out of this vote also effected.

Transit and incidental expenses:

£120.

This defrays outlays for freight of consignments for which no free transit can be secured, also the daily small expenses arising in repairs or the purchase of trifling articles, in telegrams,

the purchase of trifling articles, in telegrams, inserted by M.

railway charges, or custom clearances, cartage, additional postage etc.

In the Treasury copy, M has added 'telegrams &c' here, rather than in the previous line.

If mercantile companies and firms did not often concede free transit for the consignments coming and going the vote would need to be doubled. If the vote is lessened it will be necessary to inform correspondents abroad to discontinue their transmissions, which have frequently involved hitherto private sacrifices to the Director.

Travelling expenses

£40.

This meets the small incidental expenses of the collector permanently employed, of the youth now out under the sanction of the hon. the Chief Secretary to the North Coast,

Not identified.

or any other person occasionally on behalf of the Department travelling. The Director could not afford as in some former years to bear these expenses to a great measure himself; hence the opportunity of sending collectors to the Auckland Islands, to Camden Harbour etc. were entirely lost and may not reoccur.

The Director in all his Expeditions never charged any personal expenses to Government nor received allowances, and the same rule is applied to the subordinates. If the phytographic Department for the benefit of all Australia and to the additional lustre of this Government is to be continued, like the Observatory, National Museum, Geological Survey, Statelibrary the absolutely necessary fund should not be withheld.

Library books

£100.

To keep up the library, now property of the state, for efficient working. It was formed at great private expenses by the Director, valued by a competent judge at £1200. (second hand) and purchased by Government for £600. The Director was however suffered to purchase again all books necessary in 1866, and up to date in 1867, from his slender private means.

The expenditure for all branches of the services is thus brought within £5900., a small sum when compared with the vote of the national institution of Kew, to which it ranks next in importance, especially if it is considered, that Kew maintains no Laboratory, no nurseries of extent for Cemeteries, Church, School, and other public ground nor for forest culture.

The reductions effected on the printed estimates are:

1, £110 on the Directors income

2, Abolishment of the Asistantship £325.

This Office was created during the Gov. Botanists absence in North-Australia and reluctantly continued. It is not needed and thus I beg to recommend that the outlay may be saved and entirely discontinued.

The Director can readily arrange for all assistance work out of the wages vote and in the Museum, where of late it was only employed, by intelligent and unpretensive youths.

The Civil Service Clauses render the discontinuance of Offices possible and provide compensation or transfer. In consideration of the long time, during which the office was allowed to remain, it is recommended that compensation be given under the Civil Service Clause

under the Civil Service Clause inserted by M.

and that the occupant be chosen in any other department for the custodianship of records or any position, really required, and for which is otherwise amply provided in this establishment.

In cases of any absence of the Director he has ample talent available among the ordinary employées of the Garden to select for the temporary occupation of his place such person as at the time may be most fitted and trustworthy to perform under the sanction of the Minister the duties of the office.

3., Omission of water vote £300.

Altho' a portion of this sum might be employed for extension of waterpipes, the main sum would go back to the treasury for water supply. As the water is only used at night and when there is high pressure, and as thus nothing is withdrawn from paid consumption I think it but just the water should be supplied gratuitously to an establishment, which supplies gratuitously and extensively its plants to a far greater value, especially as — if I am not in error — Fitzroy-Park and other reserves obtain water free of cost. For the ordinary day supply rain water is taken from numerous cisterns. Any additions to the water pipes will be effected out of the store-vote. Hence the whole £300. will be saved. Total of saving £735. Addition to Estimates £100. for Library.

Total of … Library. inserted by M.

Should the Yan Yean works pass into private hands from Government, I would respectfully suggest, that provision may be made for the gratuitous fixed supply of water. If this cannot be done it would be early enough to provide for the watervote when the supply is no longer available from Government.

Should the … available from Government. is an addition by M, its intended position marked by an asterisk.

It is but right to remark before the financial observations are closed, that for any larger new building — or fencing — operations special sums, according to requirements must be provided by special vote under the public works department.

The concluding statistic may give an indication of the value of the department:

Approximate value of buildings and structures estimated by two officers of the public works Department, Easter 1866. £17,042.

(The new iron Yarra bridge is not included in this estimate nor the Victoria house nor floodgate nor other structures erected since.)

Carts, horses, stores	£	405.
Botanical Library	£	1300.
Museum Collections	£	2450.
Lithograms and plans	£	1878.
Flowerpots in use	£	319.	18.

Permanent improvements in conveyance at the Garden and reserves of soil, stones and gravel from 1858 till

Easter 1866	£	4106.	5.
Since approx.		500.
	£	4606.	5.
Number of flowerpots in use Easter 1866	64,780
Total of species of seeds harvested in 1866. (though the summer was one of unparelled draught	2730 kinds.
Number of plants supplied gratuitously to public institutions or for interchanges from 1858 till 1867	nearly half a million
Planted out in the Garden Reserves approximatively	16000 pines
and other trees	5000
	21,000

It will thus be apparent that the comparatively permanent property of the phytological establishment at a moderate calculation may be valued at £28000, irrespective of the extensive mass of living plants in the Garden and reserves and irrespective of the value of all the plants and seeds distributed. If it is further considered, what an amount of information has been diffused, resting on the Directors 27 years labor in science, what a number of trees and other plants of utility have been secured to our colonial territory and how many new resources have been pointed out and even established, it must be apparent, that the capital has been well invested and borne besides a very ample interest.

In the Treasury copy, the final paragraph is in M's hand.

I have the honor to remain

dear Sir,

your very regardful

Ferd. Mueller