Document information

Physical location:

Y83/6227, unit 1416, VPRS 3991/P inward registered correspondence, VA 475 Chief Secretary's Department, Public Record Office, Victoria. 83.06.28

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Graham Berry, 1883-06-28. 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/1880-9/1883/83-06-28-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

Melbourne
28 June 1883.
The honorable Graham Berry, M.L.A.,
Chief Secretary.
Sir.
I have the honor of soliciting your kind consideration of the circumstance, that the votes for my establishment during the financial year now closing have proved quite inadequate to the demands of the service, especially as for the Exhibitions of Amsterdam
1
Internationale Koloniale en Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling, Amsterdam, 1883.
and Petersburg
2
International Horticultural Exhibition, St Petersburg, 1883.
had to be provided and as the extensive Census of Australian plants
3
B83.03.04.
had to be printed.
Thus I have had no means to pay the juniors in the botanic Museum and in the office during the last quater of the finance-year from available votes, and it was my intention to defray the expenditure from my slender private means, rather than impair the progress of the service. I feel, that it is reproachable, if a Gov Officer exceeds the liabilities of his establishments, and I am therefore quite prepared to pay the wages of the three juniors as mentioned in the byefollowing memorandum myself, as indeed I have spent over and over in former years means of my own in promoting the efficiency of the branch of the public service entrusted to my care. I have however thought to appeal to your well known feeling of justice in this particular instance, though I may expose my administration to censure; but the last year has taxed our resources most severely, and I could really not help to exceed the expenditure, holding thereby myself as on many former occasions personally responsible. Should you be pleased to allow the sum of £60.9/- to go as "arrears for wages" on the new estimates, I shall of course not construe this as a precedent, and I may remark, that this is the first time during the 30 years of my administration, that I have made an application of this kind.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller.
Government Botanist.
4
The memorandum is written by Georg Luehmann and signed and dated by M.
Arrears for the service 1882/3
Wages to the under-mentioned junior assistants in office and museum
L. Henry
from 2nd April to 30th June 1883
13 weeks at £2. 2/
£27.
6/ -
James Minchin
" 1.10/
£19.
10.
John Matthews
" 1. 1.
£13.
13.
£60.
9/
Ferd. von Mueller,
Gov. Botanist.
28/6/83.
5
On 29 June 1883 Berry minuted: 'Add to vote "arrears" but Dr Mueller must keep the expenditure within the votes for the future'. On the front of the file Berry has noted: '£70 added'.