To William Nicholson   12 May 1860

Melbourne botanic & zoologic Garden,

12. May 1860.

Sir

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of yesterday,1 respecting the importation of seeds of the Chinese tea-plant, & beg in reply to inform you, that I shall not fail to write by the next mail to His Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson, the Governor of Hong Kong2 & to my correspondent, Dr Hance,3 of the Canton british Consulate, requesting their aid in effecting the desired importation on a large scale. I would however beg to suggest, that likewise the more powerful official application might be made by the Victorian Government, for the above purpose.

I may be permitted to inform you, that the few Chinese tea-trees in this garden have as yet not born any seeds & that neither in Victoria nor in the neighbouring colonies the Chinese and the Assam tea are extensively cultivated, as hitherto an opinion was more generally entertained, that Chinese tea could be cheaper imported than cultivated here, until labour was available at an lower rate than here-to before.

I have the honor to be,

Sir,

your most obedient & humble servant

Ferd. Mueller,

Gov Botanist

 

The honorable the Chief Secretary

&c &c &c4

1
On 9 May 1860, R. M. Serjeant, MLA, Melbourne, wrote to Nicholson: 'I desire respectfully to call your attention to the evidence of Lee Teng (Page 125) given before a select Committee of the Assembly appointed to take evidence upon the working of the Tariff. — In reference to the above evidence I would suggest the expediency of the Government requesting the British Consul at Canton, to forward a Packet of Seeds to this Colony for Cultivation. — I shall be most happy to undertake the Cultivation of a few Seeds if they can be obtained, & I am sure I need not say what great advantages would accrue to this Colony by a successful issue —'. The Under Secretary, J. Moore, referred this letter to M on 11 May 'for any remarks he may desire to offer' (N60/4105, unit 748, VPRS 1189/P, PROV).
2
Letter not found. However, Hercules Robinson reported to W. Hooker (RBG Kew, Directors' correspondence, vol. 56, f. 365): 'I have a new correspondent from Melbourne — Mueller by name— Do you know him? who is he? He has sent me some very valuable seeds'.
3
Letter not found.
4

On 17 May 1860 the Under Secretary, J. Moore, minuted: 'Will Dr Mueller be so good as to say how he intends to provide for the expense of importation on "a large scale" of the Tea Seeds.' M replied on 17 May: 'The gathering of a few bushels of tea-seeds, from which a very great number of plants might be raised, could be effected at an outlay of a very limited sum, which I anticipate the Government of Hong Kong or the Consulate at Canton would be ready to provide for such a purpose, particularly as it would not be difficult to send an equivalent in seeds of useful plants in return from this establishment. If however difficulties should arise on this point, I beg leave to be permitted to employ a few pounds Sterling of the sum, entrusted to me for purchase of plants, for securing the seeds in question to this garden.'

On 23 May 1860 Moore wrote on Nicholson’s instruction to Serjeant: 'I have the honor by desire of the Chief Secretary to acknowledge the receipt of yr letter of 9th Mch relative to obtaining a packet of Seeds of the Tea plant for cultivation in this Colony. In reply I am to inform you the attention of the Govt Botanist having been called to the subject he has intimated his intention of writing by the next mail to Hong Kong and Canton with the view of obtaining a supply of the Seeds — and Dr Mueller will have the pleasure of presenting you with a packet of them when they arrive.' (VPRS 1189/P, unit 5, PROV).

Please cite as “FVM-60-05-12,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/60-05-12