Melbourne, 26th April, 1865.
Allow me, my dear Mr. M'Millan, to direct your kind attention to the desirability of you and the other leading settlers of Gippsland uniting to form a committee for securing the naturalisation of the salmon in your noble rivers. It is the intention of the Acclimatisation Society to share in the expenditure of a new importation of salmon ova contemplated by the Tasmanian Salmon Commissioners. If timely arrangements could be made by you and your Gippsland friends for establishing the needful breeding-boxes, and providing for the surveillance of the rearing of the fish, I have no doubt that my colleagues of the Acclimatisation Council would most gladly entrust the Victorian share of the new importation of salmon ova to the care of the Gippsland Committee. The navigation of the lakes and rivers of your part of the country affords now particular facilities for locating the eggs of the fish in naturally most excellent spots, and where they could be watched without difficulty. The steam communication between the Gippsland rivers and Melbourne2 would, moreover, afford a profitable opportunity of even bringing these precious creatures to the Melbourne market.
I would beg to advise you, should you and your friends act on my suggestion, to communicate early with the Acclimatisation Society.3
Ever with most friendly regards;
yours,
F. Mueller
Angus M'Millan, Esq., J.P.
Letter not found. The text given here is from the Gippsland times, 3 May 1865, p. 2 (B65.05.07). It is introduced by 'We have great pleasure in publishing the subjoined letter from Dr. Mueller to Mr. Angus M'Millan. The subject is one of great importance, and will, we have no doubt, be warmly taken in hand by all who take an interest in the general prosperity of Gippsland.'
i.e. by means of steamships.
The Gippsland times reported on 6 May 1865, p. 2, that 'it gives us great satisfaction to state that the suggestion has already been adopted, and that a committee for that purpose is now in course of formation.'
Please cite as “FVM-65-04-26a,” 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