Ferdinand von Mueller

Melbourne botan. Garden

27/5/70

Sir

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this day,

1

W. Odgers to M, 27 May 1870 (in this edition as 70-05-27c); the notes thereto include a statement of Parliament's questions (Victoria. Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly, session 1870, vol. 1, p. 67).

and shall not fail to prepare the return for Parliament, but beg to state that it will be necessary to obtain from the honorable the Minister of public works a return of the expenditure for buildings fences and other structures, erected since 1858 in the botanic Garden.

I beg therefore to suggest, that application may be made to the public works office accordingly, but it would be necessary to refer the return to me, as considerable portions of the votes for a series of years had to be spent for zoologic purposes. The votes for public works were always made the sole control of the Department of public works, hence the necessity for the records referred to.

The honorable the Chief Secretary.

2

M's letter was referred to the Commissioner of Public Works on 3 June 1870 minuted: 'Can the Honble the Commissioner supply the information required?'. The Chief Clerk, A. Galt, replied on 7 June: 'The particulars were furnished to Dr von Mueller at his request on the 3rd Inst' (letter not found). M's return of 'The value of permanent improvement', including the cost of public works, is with M to J. McCulloch, 23 June 1870.