Melbourne botanic & zoolog. Garden
2 April 1860.
Sir
I have the honor of submitting to you the report on the labours in this establishment during the month of March.
The Examination of plants in our valuable herbarium progressed, including an elucidation of the specific characters of the various timber Eucalypty of this and the surrounding colonies; the results of which will be incorporated in the xii No. of the fragmenta Phytogr. Austr., at present passing through the press.2 Some fine plates of the flora of Victoria have been under my direction prepared by Mr Schoenfeldt.3
The seed harvest having been completed, collections have been forwarded to Kew, Kopenhagen, Stockholm, Edinburgh, Berlin, Hamburgh, Petersburgh, Amsterdam, Marseilles, Montpellier, Breslau, which were in some instances accompanied reciprocally4 by duplicate herbarium specimens and copies of the fragmenta Phytogr. Austr.
These distributions will be soon followed by such to other kindred institutions, with which we are by interchange connected.
Some valuable contributions were received during the month. Amongst others 5 roots of the huge Amazone Waterlily from Mr Borbeau, Mauritius,5 a large case with splendid Indian plants from Capt. Love, Commander of the "Th & Ann Cole",6 a case with plants from the Mauritius botanic Garden, whilst from this establishment 2 Cases with potted plants were despached to the Adelaide botanic Garden, and 1 large Case to London.
Baron von Liebig having kindly undertaken to search for a new Alkaloid in the Sassafras bark,7 has been supplied with a quantity of this Australian drug, and should my anticipation of the existence of such be realized, probably a valuable article of export will be gained for these Colonies.8
By the "Great Britain" some Australian Birds were sent to Edward Wilson Esqr.
The earthwalls and the pumpwork for the piscatoriam9 have been completed, but the fish, expected from Mauritius, did not yet arrive.
Holes have been sunk along the main work10 in the Northern Ground for the reception of young trees. An Avenue has been marked out by permission of the board of Land and Works through the Reserve adjoining the botanic Garden; and if the Board should sanction the small expenditure for sinking the holes and conveying the requisite soil to the young trees, nothing will prevent us from planting a line of trees, which in a few years may aford a grateful shade to the numerous pedestrians, which from Princes bridge pass to South Yarra & Prahran. A number of almost everlasting iron tree-guards are nearly completed, which altho' a property of this establishment, can be used first of all in the protection of the indicated line of trees.
The iron fencings are also rapidly getting finished. Thus more ground being enclosed from the reserve into the main Garden, we have been able to enlarge vastly our Nursery-Ground, where now a number of new beds are preparing, so that we may in future provide for public establishments larger supplies of plants, than even before.
The Stable in the S.E. reserve has been terraced and at this building a cistern been sunk. Such will also be provided for the Museum building and thereby much labour be saved in carting of water.
Gravel has been lifted on the S.E. ridge of the Garden. A horse-cart has with exception of its wheels been renewed by our own labour. The lagoon borders have been drained. A commencement was made to harrow up the old superfluous roads and tracks through the reserve and then will be laid out immediately in Grass and Clover.
A Compost has been transferred to one of the boarders and some edgings are renewed. 76 additional painted tallies were distributed over the ground.
The Autumnal show of the Horticulture Society was held at the Botanic Garden as in former years, but on this occasion to great loss of the society, the entrance fee at the garden gates was abolished.
In the Menagerie all Animals have been prospering, except the Lark, which suddenly became infested with insects and had to be caught and dressed.
The Angora Goats and Llamas passed through their autumn dressing. One Emu died, having swallowed a quantity of copper coin and some needels.11 4 Alpaca-Llamas were born during the month. A very curious sheep, bearing a third horn below the head was presented by G. Gowitt Esqr.12
I have the honor to be
Sir
your most obedient & humble Servant
Ferd. Mueller.
The Honorable the Chief Secretary
&c &c &c13
See M to J. von Liebig, 17 June 1859. Atherospermin, the extract from the bark, is discussed in Wittstein (1878), p. 20.
Mueller exhibited Sassafras Bark (Atherosperma maschatum) at the preparatory Exhibition in Melbourne in 1854 for the Paris Exposition in 1855 (Official catalogue of the Melbourne Exhibition, 1854, in connexion with the Paris Exhibition,1855). The official catalogue (Commission Imperiale [1855]) second edition, has a note to the heading ‘Colonies Anglaises’: ‘Le Commissaire du Catalogue n’avaint pas reçu, le 12 mai, les bulletins des exposants et les listes de produits’ (p. 352). The Supplement, p. 493, includes a short list of exhibits from Victoria, but M’s is not listed. However, in the Tasmanian products J. Boyd exhibited ‘Bois de sassafrass, de chêne, de musc, de laurier, etc. Ecorce. Porte et brouette de bois de fer’ [Sassafras wood, oak, musk, bay, etc. Bark. Ironwood door and wheelbarrow]. Sir William Denison and C. W. Hall also exhibited woods and barks that are not further identified (p. 494).
On 24 May 1860, Daniel Hanbury in London copied a letter to M, as follows, into his out-letter book, but then crossed it through and noted ‘not sent’; see Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London, Western manuscripts, ms. number 5304, Hanbury out-letter book, p. 226:
Dear Sir,
Your great acquaintance with Australian Botany induces me to trouble with an Enquiry as to the origin of the enclosed bark, which has been imported here in considerable quantity, under the supposition that it contains some valuable bitter alkaloid. This supposition may or may not be well-founded, — my question is as to the tree from which the bark is obtained, — what is it? The same bark was shown among the Australian products in the Paris Exhibition of 1855, where I had the pleasure of examining it in company with my friend Sir W. J. Hooker, and obtained a specimen. It is now imported as an article of trade from Melbourne.
With many apologies for troubling you,
I am
Dear Sir
Yours &c
D[aniel] H[anbury]
Please cite as “FVM-60-04-02,” 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 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/60-04-02