Melbourne bot. Garden
12/4/62.1
Honorable and dear Sir,
Some weeks ago you kindly granted the sum of ten pounds Sterling for enabling me to commence operations for planting a double row of elms between the City bridge and the botanic Garden. For these £10. -. - about one third of the work is completed, labourers at the low rate of 2/ per day being obtained from the Immigration Depot.
This being the season when the ground for the reception of the trees requires to be prepared, I beg to recommend to your favorable consideration, that additional £20. -. - may be expended from the vote for improvements of public reserves, in order that the plantation alluded to may be completed; no further outlay will afterward arise out of this work.
Since the trees will be planted on a walk much frequented by pedestrians and will be highly ornamental to the locality, I venture to hope, that with your usual desire to enhance the beauty of the environs of the city, you will be pleased to allow me to arrange for the reception of the trees on the ground allotted to them previous to the lapse of May, which will be the best time for transplanting.
With deep obedience
I remain,
honorable and dear Sir,
yours
Ferd Mueller
The Honorable Ch. G. Duffy Esq
&c &c &c2
For reply, see C. Hodkinson to M, 13 May 1862.
On 24 April 1862, C. Hodgkinson, Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands, minuted: 'In the Reserve in question one man is permanently employed at a salary of £100 per ann. £10 has been already advanced this year for expenditure by Dr Mueller for planting this reserve; and an additional sum of about £14 will probably be available for this purpose. I have already so informed Dr Mueller'.
MS black-edged; M's sister Bertha Doughty had died on 7 September 1861. See also M to C. Hodgkinson, 27 March 1862.
Please cite as “FVM-62-04-12,” 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