Ferdinand von Mueller

On 6 January 1869, M's clerk, Ernst Heyne, wrote to E. FitzGibbon, Town Clerk: 'During Dr Mueller's temporary absence from home, I have again the honor of acting on his behalf and I beg thus to submit to you the enclosed report from the gardener living on the Northern portion of the Botan. Garden, by which it appears that the contractor employed by the Corporation for forming River bank Road has broken down the fence in that locality, so that cattle grazing in Richmond Paddock have free access to our Reserve in which, according to the enclosed report, they have done already considerable damage to the plantations. In drawing your attention to the above I hope and beg that the reoccurrence of this grievance may be prevented by instructing the Contractor to always securely close the fence again at night, whenever he may, during the progress of his work, have been obliged to remove portion of it.' (Unit 733, VPRS 3181/P, Public Record Office, Victoria).

Heyne's letter was read at a meeting of the Melbourne City Council Public Works Committee on 12 January 1869, with the minute recording : 'City Surveyor to write to the contractor on the subject' (Unit 6, p. 620, VPRS 4037, Public Record Office, Victoria). The problem evidently persisted: FitzGibbon wrote to the City Surveyor in February: 'My attention was called to day to the fact that the fencing on the left hand side of the way between Princes bridge and the Immigrants Home has been forced out of the straight line and the rails thereby loosened so that cattle may be admitted, there was one cow in the grounds at the time of my passing and as numbers of valuable trees may be destroyed the fencing should be made good without delay - I would suggest also that the Corporation should keep the [...] of the gate opposite to the [...]' (Unit 15, p. 7, VPRS 4025/P, Public Record Office, Victoria).