From Ferdinand von Mueller to George Sprigg   21 Oct 1864

Melbourne botan. Gardens

21/10/64

Sir

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated 19th October,1 in reply to which I beg to inform you for communication to the Council of the Acclimation Society, that at a Meeting of the Trustees of the Royal Park held this day the byefollowing resolutions were passed

1. That the Trustees in accordance of the letter of the Chief Secretary of Octob. 20th2 decide, that they can not in the exercise of their functions as Trustees of the Royal Park assent to the application of the Powder-Magazine as a temporary receptacle for Lunatics for transmission to the Lunatic-Asylum.

2. Nevertheless on the pressing necessity of the case, and conditionally upon the assurance of the Governm. being given to them of their intention to arrange as speedily as possible for some other provision for the purpose, the Trustees feel as a matter of humanity that they ought not to offer any opposition to the proposition, but content themselves with recording their protest against any other than a temporary use of any portion of the Royal Park for such purpose.3

I have the honor to be,

Sir

Your obedient servant

signed F. Mueller

G. Sprigg Esq.

G. Sprigg to M, 19 October 1864 (in this edition as 64-10-19a).

Letter not found.

The discussion at the meeting is recorded in A345 Royal Park Trustees minute book, pp. 139-40, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney; see notes M to J. McCulloch, 21 October 1864 (in this edition as 64-10-21a).

Please cite as “FVM-64-10-21c,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/64-10-21c