Melbourne, bot. Garden,
21/1/66.
Sir
I have the honor to solicit, that you will be pleased to sanction the following expenditure in this establishment to meet the first current liabilities of the year.
| Salary of the Gov. Botanist and Director for the month of January 1866 |
£50. 16/8d |
| Salary of the Assistant |
£25.- .- |
| Wages for the month of January |
£400.- .- |
In reference to this latter item I may remark, that it exceeds somewhat the estimated average sum of the wages fund for one month; the excess of expenditure was however unavoidable to keep the vast number of trees planted in the garden & reserve alive during the distressing period of drought, though all the Garden employees have had over and over extra night-duties, for which no extrapayment will be rendered.1
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
your most obedient & humble servant
Ferd. Mueller.
The honorable the Chief Secretary.
Approval for M's request was initialled on the file.
Please cite as “FVM-66-01-21a,” 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