14th September 1865
I am directed by the Honorable the Chief Secretary to inform you that he has received notice from the Treasury that the circumstances attendant upon the present resumption of payments are such as to render it necessary that no expenditure should be incurred which can possibly be avoided with due regard to the carrying on of the public business.1 You will therefore be good enough to bear in mind the treasurer's intimation and endeavour to promote the object he has in view as much as lies in your power
Sd J Moore
Director Botanic Gardens
As part of a dispute between 'protectionists' who advocated tariffs to stimulate local business, and the opposing 'free traders', the Legislative Council blocked the Tarriff and Appropriation Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly. The Government suspended 'payment of Salaries, Wages, and Contingencies … until the necessary authority for the expenditure shall have been obtained' (Victoria Government Gazette, Supplement, 28 July 1865), p. 1075). The Government resorted to 'the curious stratagem' (Bagehot (1867), p. 127) of borrowing money from a commercial bank, and made payments without legislative authority. For the background to the crisis, see Cain (1995). For the arrangement with the banks, see 'Correspondence with the banks relative to the resumption of payments', Age (Melbourne), 8 September 1865, p. 6.
Text from C2890, 'Circular', addressed to the Chief Commissioner of Police, followed by 'Similar Circulars to' and a list of 17 Heads of Department within the Chief Secretary's Department, including M.
Please cite as “FVM-65-09-14c,” 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