Ferdinand von Mueller

1

The letter is numbered I87/4007 within this file.

Melbourne

28 April, 1887.

H. Moors Esqr,

Acting Under Secretary.

Sir.

In compliance with the request of your memorandum of yesterday,

2

See M to C. Pearson, 29 March 1887, and the notes thereto. M sought Pearson's approval for a list that he enclosed of institutions and individuals to receive copies of his work on Acacias. That letter was referred to the Premier, D. Gillies, who requested information about the cost of preparing the work.

I have the honor to report, that the preparing of each of the plates of Acacias,

3

Eventually published as B87.13.04 and B88.13.01.

first by

Thus each copy of a decade does cost not fully 1/11d.

4

Copies were advertised for sale at three shillings per decade; see Sydney morning herald, 3 December 1887, p. 13.

But as the expenditure in my Department is defrayed out of the ordinary item of publishing of plants, and as the portion of the work, done in the Gov. Printing Department is done by the ordinary staff and not by extra-hands, no special expenditure beyond ordinary departmental means is incurred by this publication. In distributing the decades, the Governm. Property in the Departments becomes pari passu

5

simultaneously and equally.

enriched through the litterary interchanges, while for educational and industrial purposes these decades will remain of importance for all times . Moreover there should be a considerable sale ; — and here I might instance, that the last edition of my volume on "select plants"

6

B85.12.03.

was sold in seven months from the Gov. Printing Office, covering not merely the whole printing expenditure, but rendering a portion of copies available for Gov. distribution free at the time. I may be allowed to add, that thus widely and permanently knowledge on utilitarian plants for the benefit of the rural and industrial population became dispersed without any loss to the Government monetarely,

7

monetarily?

and I would much recommend , that a new edition be brought out soon , numerous enquiries for this work on "select plants for industrial culture" occurring, and not a single copy being by purchase or otherwise obtainable.

8

A new edition was published the next year (B88.12.01).

In conclusion I may observe, that I am and have always been guided by the strictest principles of economy also in the litterary branch of my establishment also; thus the decades of the Acacias are brought out uncolored , as a chromo-lithographic issue of such a work would have doubled or tripled the expenditure.

9

The file was forwarded to the Premier's Office on 3 May (P87/1264), and on 16 August, E. Thomas, Secretary to the Premier, annotated the file as follows:

Iconography of Acacias Baron von Mueller having brought out a new work with the title " Iconography of Australian Species of Acacia ", submits a List of persons and Institutions to whom he wishes presentation copies to be given

Mr Gillies directed me to inquire the cost: I see the selling price is 3s/- per part; that is 9s/- the set of three parts. This of course is more than the actual cost — which is stated to be £197.6.8 for the Edition of 1000. (I cannot understand how the cost is made out so low !)

As to the List submitted — it consists of 101 Institutions and persons almost all of which are Foreign or extra-colonial — the Royal Society & the Sandhurst & Ballarat Schools of Mines are the only local Institutions proposed as recipients.

Mentioning this to the Baron, he explained that the List he submitted is, simply and solely, of those Persons or Institutions who have sent him for his Deparmental Library, copies of their works or Philosophical Transactions, and to whom therefore, he feels bound to present, in return, a copy of his Work — in fact he says this List which he submits is simply a List of Interchanges. This List is now submitted to the Hon. the Premier.

If however there is to be a large free distribution, might not our local institutions — Free Libraries, Mechanics' Institutes leading newspapers, and such be considered? Possibly the perusal of the works by our intelligent people in their leisure may develope some useful idea from them.

As to the policy of getting out these elaborate and costly scientific works at the cost of the State — that is within the province of the Hon. the Chief Secretary — though it comes thus indirectly under the notice of the Premier but it certainly seems to me that some at least of them, are of the driest and most technical description. Take for instance the present work — here is engraving after engraving, done in the most beautiful style, simply to shew the difference between the seed-pods, bracts, flower-heads &c &c of different kinds of acacia — a genus of which we are told there are 300 distinct varieties !

`Surely a popular treatise on the Acacia; its economical uses and properties — with plates illustrating a few leading types would be infinitely more worth the money, than this publication, — which addresses itself exclusively to savans .

The file was, however, returned to the Chuef Secretary's Office on 17 August approving the list submitted and with an apology for the 'unavoidable' delay. The next day it was sent on to M who returned it on 19 August 'with best thanks'.

On 8 September 1887, Thomas asked that 'the file P87/1264', concerning the 'cost of preparation of each plate of the Acacias for Lithographic Illustrations of Australian Acacias' again be sent to the Premier's Office.