10/3/66
Dr Meuller MD.
Dear Sir will you excuse me for taking the liberty of trespassing on your valuable time but I think it my duty to inform you of certain rumours in cerculation concerning Mr. William Smith and a certain female in consequence of their being Surprised in an act which I can bring proofs to the fact in the Tea tree Scrub enough to Shock any person having even the Slightest claims to morality as a married man.
It is not through any ill feelling that I inform you of this but I think it is but right for you to know that it is in every ones mouthe not only in the immediate vicinity but even in so remote a locality as Toorak I cannot go out side the door but people ask me if that is true about Smith and the gerl in the Gardens. I say of course that I know nothing about is. I do not know whether you have been informed of the facts before but I sincerely beleve you have not or else you would have had it thoroughly sifted ore now.
I remain your humble Servant
D. Coller1
MS annotation by M: 'was not informed about it at the time'.
See also D. Coller to M, 11 May 1870, in which he reminded M that William Smith had been transferred to the northern grounds, rather than being discharged, in 1866, on the understanding that he was never to work in the Gardens again. Now that Smith was trying to return to the Gardens, Coller wished to enter a protest against his re-employment 'on the same grounds as I did on a former occasion'.
Please cite as “FVM-66-03-10,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/66-03-10