Ferdinand von Mueller

20/10/81

In first instance, dear Mr Wilson, let me congratulate you to the permanency of your appointment to the office,

1

Wilson in 1881 succeed W. H. Odgers as permanent head of the Chief Secretary's Department.

which you will hold with so much dignity and efficiency, and let me hope that in your arduous duties you will preserve your health and strength. It needs not my assurance, that I will be happy to render you any service whenever occasion arises. Thus, I herewith send the translation into german of the few lines of manuscript, just submitted by you; but, altho' I read Dutch fairly well, yet I could not undertake to write it with grammatical precision.

2

The document in question was a 'notice to masters of vessels as to giving correct replies to questions' concerning the 'Health of the Passengers and Crew on board the undermentioned Vessel'. The questions were about the incidence and control of contagious or infectious diseases, particularly smallpox, fever, cholera, plague or scarlatina.

MS annotation by Wilson on 8 November: 'Write to Netherlands Consul asking him to be good enough to give a transln in Dutch of the marginal words in red ink, sending a copy of English form'. The Consul, Daniel Ploos van Amstel, sent a reply on 15 November 1881 (V81/10402, unit 1235A, VPRS 3991/P, PROV).

Strafe von £100 (Ein Hundert Pfund Sterling) für Verweigerung oder Auslassung von wahrer Antwort oder für das Geben einer falschen Antwort auf eine dieser Fragen.

3

i.e.: Fine of £100 (one hundred pounds Sterling) for refusing to answer, leaving out a truthful answer or falsely answering one of these questions.