From Octavius Timins1    5 May 1859

5th May 1859

Sir,

I am directed by the Governor to enclose a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Society of Arts, which has been forwarded to His Excellency by the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Colonies in a Despatch pointing out the expediency of disseminating accurate statements of the resources of the Colonies, and of the bearing of such resources upon Trade; and I am desired to state that His Excellency will be happy to receive your co-operation in the matter

I have &c

(sd) O. F. Timins

 

The President of the Philosophical Institute2

The Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, London, with the cooperation of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, sent a circular to the governors of British Colonies soliciting their help in obtaining information about the natural resources of the colonies. The circular took the form of a letter written by the Secretary of the Society, P. Le Neve Foster, to the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Earl of Carnarvon, dated 1 January 1859. In the letter Le Neve Foster outlined the measures the Council of the Society had considered the best ones for obtaining the information required. '1. That such colonies as consider that the meetings and proceedings of the Society of Arts would at all serve to give publicity to their resources, and tend to increase the demand for their productions, should select some competent person, or existing society in the colony, to frame a complete statement of the points upon which it is considered that the public of the mother-country are not sufficiently informed. | 2. That the individual or public body thus selected should at once be put in direct communication with the Society of Arts. | 3. That the person or persons thus chosen should also designate, and obtain the consent of, some well-informed person in this country, either himself to read, at an evening meeting of the Society, the paper prepared in the colony, or to confer with the Council as to the best method of securing their common objects.' (No. 42, unit 5, p. 178, VPRS 1088 circulars from Secretary of State, VA 466 Governor, Public Record Office).

The Governor of Victoria, Henry Barkly, sent copies of this circular to the Chairman of the Mechanics Institute and to M as President of the Philosophical Institute.

The Philosophical Institute of Victoria appointed a committee to respond to the circular consisting of: C. Hodgkinson, A. Selwyn, J. Macadam, F. McCoy, T. Skilling, G. Holmes, J. I. Bleasdale, A. K. Smith, P. H. MacGillivray, H. Amsinck and M. See Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria (1860) pp. xiii-xv.

The committee's report was published as an appendix to the Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria for1860 with an introductory letter by M and M. Irving (M & M. Irving to the Council of the Royal Society of Victoria, 9 April 1860). M was co-author of the sections on indigenous vegetable productions (B60.14.03) and agriculture and horticulture (B60.14.01).

Please cite as “FVM-59-05-05,” 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 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/59-05-05