To John O'Shanassy   20 October 1858

Melbourne bot. & zool Garden

20. Oct. 1858.

Sir

In accordance with the request, contained in your letter of the 18th instant1 which reached me last night, I have the honor to inform you, that no fund remained available for the Zool. Gardens Committee, to provide for the protection and sustenance of the Llama-Alpacas presented by Messrs Westgarth Wilson and other Gentlemen to the Government.

After a consultation with the Honorable Capt Pasley, to whom the Committee of the zoological Garden referred me for advise in sudden emergencies, it appears necessary to recommend to your honor, that a special supplementary vote might be granted by the Government and Legislature for fencing a small paddock on the high ground of the bot Gardens Reserve and for the erection of same stable of the animals expected, also to defray the expenses for their transit and for forage during the remainder of the year.

I beg leave to suggest, that the sum to be placed at the disposal of the Committee for the above purposes and for defraying other expenses in the zoological department should not be less than £500 five hundred pounds Sterling.

I may finally state, that the fence now under contract at the low ground on the right bank of the Yarra River, which is to complete the enclosure of the area originally destined for a zoological Garden cannot be completed in time for the reception there of the Llama-Alpacas, even if it were advisable to place the animals in so unsuitable a locality.

I have the honor to be

Sir,

your most obedient and humble servant

Ferd. Mueller

 

The honorable the Chief Secretary

&c &c &c2

1
J. Moore to M, 18 October 1858.
2
On 20 October 1858 O'Shanassy asked that M's report be forwarded to the Treasurer, G. Harker, whose attention should be drawn 'to the necessity of making the necessary provision for the reception and protection of the Alpacas[.] I am personally assured by Dr Mueller that the Sum of 500£ will be required for this purpose'. Harker replied on 22 October: 'It is too late to be introduced into the Estimates now before the House'. On 27 October O'Shanassy asked: 'The animals may arrive within a week or two. How are they to be provided for? To await for a vote until the meeting of another Parliament will be simply to leave them unprovided. No provision has been made because intimation of their arrival had not reached until after the Estimates had been framed.'

Please cite as “FVM-58-10-20,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/58-10-20