Ferdinand von Mueller

1

The file also contains a typed copy of this letter, presumably made at the Chief Secretary's Department.

Melbourne,

7 June 1892

The honorable McLean,

Chief Secretary.

Sir.

I have the honor to solicit, that you will be pleased to allow £50.- .- yet to be spent out of the Contingencies-vote of the current year, to defray various incidental and other expenses, which could not suddenly be stopped during the last quater

2

quarter?

of the present finance-year. From the first of July however the total reduction of the means in this establishment will come into operation, so that the whole vote will be, except my own Salary, only £400.- .- unless Mr Charles French,

3

Charles H. French.

who was born in the Department, could as a Junior-Assistant be retained permanently; his Salary being so small; and in connection with this I may mention that the Staff at the Kew-Herbarium consists of seven professional Officers and at the British Museum-Herbarium of five, irrespective of Labourers. I shall however always cheerfully endeavour, to carry out the decisions of the Government, and am thankful to you, Sir, and your hon. Colleagues, to permit the existence and continuance of the Gov. Botanist's establishment even at the time of great depression of our colony; and I have made arrangements to devote the difference between my Salary and the sum, which would be a pension, to the payment of all contingencies beyond the allowed £400.- .-Thus I gratefully recognize the advantage of continuing in the control of the huge Herbarium, formed by me since 1840, and maintaining the researches and correspondence for and with our fellow Colonist and abroad, and upholding also the dignity of Victoria in the branch of my service all over the world.

4

On 11 June 1892, the Under Secretary, T. Wilson, minuted: 'Submitted — In view of the fact mentioned by Baron von Mueller in the marked portion of this letter [no portion of MS is marked] — a fact of which I was not previously aware — I certainly think he should be allowed the £50 asked for out of the £250 saved on the "Contingencies" Vote for 1891/2'.

McLean minuted his approval on 12 June and on 14 June Wilson noted that M was to be informed of this and did so in T. Wilson to M, 16 June 1892.

See also M to T. Wilson, 29 February 1892 (in this edition as 92-02-29a), on which Wilson by a minute dated 4 June requested details of the balance of the contigency fund.