Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne botanic Garden,

3/5/67.

Sir

I have the honor to draw your attention to an article in the Argus of this day,

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Argus, 3 May 1867, p. 5, cols a-b:

A plan has been prepared by Mr. Hodgkinson, and submitted to Parliament, for planting and ornamenting that eyesore known as the Treasury-reserve.... The total number of shrubs and trees which it is proposed to plant is 1,482, and it may be noticed, as a singular circumstance, that only 350, and these of the very commonest description, are set down as being obtainable at the Botanic gardens. It has always been understood that one of the principal advantages derived from these gardens was the distribution of large numbers of valuable plants amongst the various public reserves of the colony; but when the matter is for once put to the test, it appears that for this purpose, at any rate, they are of the very smallest value. According to Mr. Hodgkinson, it will be necessary to purchase all the auracarias, pines, elms, oaks, planes, and poplars required. With the liberal expenditure on account of the Botanic Gardens, this certainly should not be the case; and if Mr. Hodgkinson's representations are correct, it is high time that a change should be made somewhere.

intimating that Mr Hodgkinson had submitted to Parliament a plan for planting the treasury buildings reserve, and that of 1482 plants needed for this purpose only 350 could be obtained at the botanic Garden.

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MS marginal annotation by C. Hodgkinson: 'The memo. on the plan prepared by me did not state that only 350 plants could be obtained from the Botanic Garden . I proposed to limit to that number the plants to be obtained therefrom first because the plants so obtainable were small, secondly because the

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Excelsa, Moreton Bay Figs and many other indispensable plants were not to be procured at the Botanic Garden, and thirdly because Dr Mueller had previously supplied many plants mentioned in a requisition for the ordinary reserves vested in the Board of Land & Work. As soon as I saw the paragraph I wrote privately to Dr Mueller to inform me [error for him?] how vexed I was to read the misstatement therein'. Hodgkinson's letter has not been found.

In justice to my establishment I deem it but right to inform you as its ministerial Chief, that this season only a general application for plants for the reserves under the Board of Land & Works has been made to me, that the selection of the trees &c was in first instance not left to myself, & that I furnished all the plants demanded or substituted such as would well take the place of others, this season not available. If I was allowed to exercise my own judgment in the selection of the plants for any tree lines or mass of shrubs to be planted at the treasury building and if plants one or two years old would be of sufficient size,

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If I was allowed ... sufficient size, underlined by Hodgkinson and annotated in the margin: 'In designing, as a landscape gardener the improvements to be carried out on any land it is a matter of vital importance that the kinds of trees to be planted in different parts of the ground be carefully arranged with regard to general effect and contrasts. In my large-scale plan for imp[rovemen]t of Treasury Reserve I have acted on this principle, and the design would be altogether upset if trees other than those I have adopted be planted in lieu thereof.'

all the plants needed could at the right season be found in this establishment except Norfolk Island

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e, which I have to obtain by purchase myself. May I solicit, that you will be pleased to cause the statement to be corrected or will you kindly allow me to do it myself. I beg to subjoin a statement of the plants (exceeding considerably the number demanded) supplied to Mr Hodgkinson this season: Californian and Himalaian Pines 440, Corsican Pines 50, other miscell. Pines 110, in all 600, all in pots, now less than a year old. Besides there are reserved all available

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I beg to subjoin ... all available marked by a line in margin and annotated by Hodgkinson: 'These plants which were supplied for the ordinary reserves vested in the Bd of L & W were, although small, of good description. I beg to testify to the promptitude and courtesy with which Dr Mueller met the requisition for them'.

Oriental Planes, about 100, & substituted for 100 others demanded so many Chinese Ashes. It is needless to remark, that not in every year fertile seeds of every kind of desirable tree for new supplies can be obtained, especially in seasons of drought, or at all seasons wood enough for cuttings of any select trees. It must be also borne in mind, that between 200 and 300 country institutions need supplies including even many at Geelong,

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including even many at Geelong is a marginal insertion by M with its intended position marked by an asterisk.

that my own area is not yet entirely planted, and that all the very rarest plants cannot be concentrated on metropolitan establishments alone. It appears to me also but fair, that the respectable, hard working and intelligent class of nurserymen should have some opportunity to share in the advantage of public disbursements

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It appears ... disbursements underlined and annotated in margin by Hodgkinson: 'I fully concur in the suggestion that purchases of plants be made to a considerable extent at the establishments of nurserymen'.

to whom especially the growth of Elms and such like plants should be left,

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to whom especially the growth of Elms and such like plants should be left, is a marginal insertion by M with its intended position marked by an asterisk.

and finally I beg to observe, that the demand on my institutions is and has been annually so great, that I scarcely ever can retain plants for a second or third years growth to form large specimens without refusing applications for them while such plants are small. All this has been repeatedly explained to Mr Hodgkinson.

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All this ... Hodgkinson underlined and annotated in margin by Hodgkinson: 'This statement is quite correct; — and for the reasons specified by Dr Mueller I have been in the habit of purchasing large quantities of plants from private nurseries, especially when plants of large size were required.'

In 1865 that Gentleman received 1612 plants; of these 780 were pines in pots (including 464 of the best Californian Pines, besides among this number were 132 large Pines several years old lifted from intended permanent positions and 100 large shrubs lifted from the Garden borders.

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besides among ... Garden borders. marked by a line in margin and annotated by Hodgkinson: 'These large plants were dug up by my men in the Garden & Govt House Reserve and replanted in the Parliament House Reserve'.

In 1866 I supplied to Mr Hodgkinson 850 plants in pots, of which 475 were select pines (a large share of them from Himalaia & California). From 1858 til this year I supplied to the Department of Land and Works according to the books and receipts of this Office very many thousand plants, a special record of which can be given if desired by you, and the supply might have been larger even, had the ground to be planted been always timely prepared. I am not aware, that of the distributions thus made ever a public acknowledgment has been conceded to my establishment.

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I am not aware ... establishment. marked by a line in margin and annotated by Hodgkinson: 'The Honorable the President of the Board of Land & Works verbally informed me that he objected to acknowledgements in the Public papers of receipt of plants from Dr Mueller for reserves vested in the Board of L & W, The Crown Lands Dept supplies other Departments gratis with large numbers of valuable maps, and makes surveys for them, &c, but the Permanent Heads of that Dept have never expected that Permanent Heads of other departments would publicly acknowledge such donations or services'.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your very obedient servant

The honorable the Chief Secretary

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On 6 May 1867 the Chief Secretary, J. McCulloch, forwarded M's letter to the Lands Department and instructed: 'Inform Dr Mueller to forward communications in future to the Lands department'. The Under Secretary, J. Moore, duly did so; see J. Moore to M, 8 May 1867.

On 11 May the Assistant Commissioner for Crown Lands, C. Hodgkinson, commented: 'In proposing that out of the 1482 trees & shrubs required for planting the Treasury Reserve only 350 be obtained from the Director of the Botanic Garden I was influenced by the following considerations 1st That I intended to produce the principal effects in that Reserve by grouping together large numbers of Norfolk Island Pines, Moreton Bay Pines, Moreton Bay Figs, Picea, and other kinds of ornamental trees not obtainable at the Botanic Garden. (I may incidentally mention that Dr Mueller informed me a few weeks ago that he could supply this year no Moreton Bay Figs ; — and that, of the many hundreds of Norfolk Island Pines now growing in the Reserves under my control not one specimen was obtained at the Botanic Garden nor are any now procurable thereat). 2nd That the Coniferous plants procurable this year at the Botanic Garden are, on the average, only from six inches to nine inches high, and are consequently not calculated to produce any immediate ornamental effects in the planting out of a new piece of ground. 3rd That Dr Mueller has already during the current year supplied for ordinary reserves vested in Bd of L & W. several hundreds of plants of dimensions alluded to. 4th. That Dr Mueller has frequently made statements to the effect that he has to make large donations of plants to country institutions , and that private nurserymen should receive encouragement by purchase from them of plants required for public reserves. Statements of this nature are confirmed in this letter, and I fully concur in them and think that it would have been very inconsiderate and unfair to have assumed that Dr Mueller ought to supply all the plants required for Treasury Reserve.'

On 13 May Grant concluded: 'On reference to Dr Muellers letter and to Mr Hodgkinsons notes thereon there appears to be no diversity of opinion between these Gentlemen with reference to the manner in which trees and shrubs should be obtained for the Public Reserves. With regard to Dr Muellers request for permission to publicly reply to the statement in the Argus of the 3rd Instant I must inform him that I strongly disapprove of all communications direct or indirect by public officers with newspapers; I will however not object in this instance to authorize Dr Mueller to forward for insertion in the Argus a brief statement that the memorandum on the plan of Mr Hodgkinsons design for improvement of the Treasury reserve as submitted to Parliament did not justify the conclusion arrived at in the Argus that the 350 plants proposed to be obtained from the Botanic Gardens were " of the very commonest description ". I cannot admit Dr Muellers claim for a public acknowledgement from Heads of Public Departments of the supply out of the State property under his supervision of requisitions for plants, as such a claim is as untenable as would be one by the Surveyor General for a public acknowledgement from heads of various Departments for plans supplied to them free of cost, or one from the Government Printer for public acknowledgement of printing done gratis for any Department.'

M did not submit a statement to the Argus: see M to J. Grant, 15 May 1867, for his explanation, and for continued argument on this case.