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Y71/2594, unit 576, VPRS 3991/P inward registered correspondence, VA 475 Chief Secretary's Department, Public Record Office, Victoria. 71.03.02Preferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to James McCulloch, 1871-03-02. 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/1870-9/1871/71-03-02-final.odt>, accessed June 9, 2026
Melbourne botanic Garden
2/3/71.
Sir
I have the honor to enquire, whether it would be possible for the Stores Department
to defray any heavy freight for large consignments of plants for the botanic Garden.
The small vote for incidental expenses, to which along with all small repairs and
other minor outlays the freights also had to be charged in former years has been also
reduced in 1871, and is utterly insufficient to bear charges for heavy freight. Even
in former years the Director had to bear numerous expenses which legitimately could
and should have been charged to the incidental vote, which vote even then was insufficient,
and his wordly
means are no longer such that he can bear, as he has done for 17 years most extensively,
departmental expenses out of his private income. If it was not for the generosity
of the P. & O. Company and a few Ship-owners and Commanders of vessels, the departmental
interchanges could not have gone on, as they have done, but even with these exceptional
advantages, the limited means of the department impair a vigorous system of interchange,
so particularly desirable to us here in a young country.
1
worldly?
I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller,
Direct. botan. Garden.
The honorable the Chief Secretary
2
The letter was referred to the Botanic Garden Enquiry Board on 6 March 1871 and returned
on 15 March.