Document information

Physical location:

G75/2782, unit 1022, VPRS 3991/P inward registered correspondence, VA 475 Chief Secretary's Department, Public Record Office, Victoria. 75.03.09

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Robert Ramsay, 1875-03-09. 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/1870-9/1875/75-03-09-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

Melbourne
9/3/75.
The honorable Rob. Ramsay, M.L.A., &c
Sir,
I have the honor to ask your approval of the issue of the first part of the School-flora of Victoria through the Gov. Printing Office, for which work the elaboration has gradually proceeded, and for which through the kindness of Mr Ferres a few wood-engravings have got ready. I am anxious, that this first part should appear in time, to be placed before Parliament at its reassembling.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller.
1
On 8 April 1875 the Under Secretary, W. Odgers, minuted: 'The Gov. Printer is requested to communicate with Govt Botanist and report whether the work referred to can be done in the Printing Office & at what cost'. The Acting Government Printer, G. Skinner, asked M on 13 April: 'Will the Government Botanist have the goodness to furnish information as to the size, number of pages, number of copies to be printed, style of binding &c. of the contemplated work in order that the above request may be complied with'.
On 14 April M annotated the file: 'The proposed school book on our native plants would complete contain about 800 pages and 150 wood-engravings; but the volume might be issued in parts, say six, so that the first part would contain about 130 pages and 25 illustrations. The choice of paper and binding ought to be at the discretion of the Gov. Printer. The number of copies ought to be such as to supply one to each state school, besides leaving a sufficiency for sale.'
On 19 April, Skinner minuted: ‘The abovementioned work can be done, presuming it to extend over a series of years. The cost, 1500 copies, 800 pages demy 8o, in 6 parts, will be about £1350.0.0’.
On 28 April, Ramsay referred the matter to the Minister of Public Instruction, A. Mackay, 'for his opinion as to the proposal of the Governt Botanist'.
On 14 March 1876 Odgers wrote to Ramsay, now the Minister of Public Instruction: 'I have the honor to request that you will be good enough to return to this Office (with as little delay as possible) the correspondence mentioned in the margin, which was referred to you for your opinion on the 29th of April 1875' (K76/2526, unit 1022, VPRS 3991, PROV). The correspondence was returned to the Chief Secretary, J. MacPherson, who, as Odgers noted on 18 March, 'had a conversation with Gvt Botanist'.
See also M to J. MacPherson, 11 March 1876.