To John O'Shanassy1    1 May 1862

Melbourne botanic Gardens

1st May 1862

Sir

In submitting to you a brief report on the progress of the work in the botanic Gardens during the past month I have the honor of drawing your attention to the improvements, which have taken place in the forcing houses, where not only the enlargements have been completed, but also new arrangements have been made for their most convenient working.

Some of the old narrow walks have been widened, the avenue on the Yarra has been completed, and the native trees have been partially removed and partially trimmed in the Araucaria plantation in order to afford more scope to the now already conspicuous young trees.

The general flower borders received an autumn dressing, and thus the whole ground may be regarded as in an excellent state of order.

In the reserve between the garden and the City bridge the trenching for the reception of a double row of good sized Elms has been proceeded with, and it is my intention to make now the commencement of planting pines along the slope facing the Yarra River. The whole slope between the Garden and the City bridge will probably afford space for 40 000 of these noble trees, and we may anticipate, that the total effect of a pine forest on these slopes, in which the majestic forms of the Deodars, Wellingtonias and Stonepines prevail, must finally be grand when viewed from the City.

Preparations are also commenced to establish a line of the fragrant Pittosporum undulatum along the fence which separates the Museum reserve from that of the Observatory.

A supply of the seeds gathered during the last season has been distributed to the principal botanic Gardens abroad during the month.

Amongst the donations which we received are to be recorded as most important a very extensive collection of vine cuttings from the famous l'école Luxembourg. Although these cuttings have somewhat suffered during the voyage, we hope that the majority will grow and that these very many new and celebrated kinds of vines will be gained for Victorian vineyards. His Excellency Sir Will. Denison presented a case with epiphytal Orchids gathered in the Madras presidency and has promised to introduce the Cinchona trees into our country.2 A valuable consignment of seeds of herbaceous plants arrived from Sir Will. Hooker of Kew, and a good supply of seeds of Himalaian pines from Dr Th. Anderson Director of the botanic garden of Calcutta.

For the Museum we obtained collections of dried plants gathered during Mr F Gregory's recent expedition from Nikol Bay into the North East interior of Western Australia,3 also plants obtained during the voyage of the Victoria to the North coast. A collection of botanical specimens from Central Australia, gathered by Mr J. Macd. Stuart in his last expedition, has been submitted for examination.

The 17 No. of the fragmenta phytographiae Australiae4 has been published during the month.

I have the honor to be

Sir

Your most obedient and humble servant

Ferd. Mueller.

 

The Honorable the Chief Secretary.5

MS written by Ernst Heyne and signed by M.
The earliest reference in the surviving correspondence to M having received Cinchona plants from Denison is in M to J. McCullock, 30 September 1865. However, Denison reports having sent Cinchona plants to M earlier: W. Denison to W. Hooker, 21 July 1864, RBG Kew, Directors' correspondence, vol 57, f. 54. Note that not all consignments Denison sent to Australia survived: see The Brisbane Courier , 7 September 1865, p. 4, for the failure of a shipment to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.
HC: Wallcott was in Francis Gregory's party. 'Victoria' trip — under command of Norman, botanical collector = Diedrich Henne.
B62.04.01.
MS file annotation by O'Shanassy, 10 May 1862: 'Read'.

Please cite as “FVM-62-05-01b,” 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/62-05-01b