Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS black-edged; M's brother-in-law, Eduard Wehl, died on 11 February 1876.

Private

Easterday 1876

I write this, dear Dr Hooker, to tell you (from a friends place in the country,

2

Not identified.

where I seek during the Easter holidays fresh air) that the two Cases with Museum plants, which I owe to your Liberality, have arrived, I believe safely. I have not yet seen them. In the course of the week I will endeavour to bring for once my new Minister

3

Duncan Gillies.

to the only Museum room, built for me in 19 years, to show him this new contribution to our collections from Kew. He is an English Barrister, hence a man of education, from whom I hope some resurrection of my Department. Would you believe that Sir George Bowen contends that you had said, that you hoped the British Ministry would treat you as the Victorian has done in my case! i.e. to be without buildings, almost without staff, without votes, without all my living plants (and that with the cultural scope of our latitudes) but with an endowment of £300 to work the wide duties of a most [rami]fied Department in an expensive Gold country!

Of course I was excessively indignant when I heard this. As yet not the slightest improvement has taken place in my position, while useless or destructive changes are made at lavish expenses at what once was a botanic Garden but what rather now deserves the name of a Cremorne!

4

Cremorne Gardens in Chelsea, England, were a popular place of entertainment during the middle of the 19th century but became notorious for irregularities and were closed in 1877. (Oxford companion to English literature, 1995).