Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Decr 6. 1865
Sir
I have the honor to inform you that, during the past night, a large quantity of exotic Ash Trees (50) have (by some person or persons unknown) been wilfully destroyed in the Government House Reserve, close to the Observatory — As these trees are under my especial charge I have the honor to request your kind assistance in order that if possible the perpetrators of this malicious act may be brought to justice, and further destruction of like valuable public property be in future prevented —
I have the honor to be Sir
your most obdt Servt.
Ferd. Mueller
Direct. bot Garden.
Captn Standish
Chief Commissioner of Police1
Standish referred the matter to the officer in charge of detectives for inquiry and report. No account of the investigation has been found.
Please cite as “FVM-65-12-06b,” 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