Bot. Garden 27/9/68
At this beautiful season, dear Captain Standish, so many visitors come to the garden, that I am doubly anxious to render everything here pleasant and attractive. Unfortunately many of the lowest principle resort to the garden also, and altho I cause a fair vigilance to be carried out and had several grossly offending people arrested, I cannot but wish, that the presence of a policeman in uniform now and then would still stronger support authority, order and decency.
I am aware that you have not even a sufficiency of constables for all ordinary purposes, yet I hope, that you will kindly permit one man occasionally to spend here an hour on weekdays, and one or two constables to aid us on Sunday afternoons when the garden is crowded, if the weather be fine.1
With regardful salutation
Ferd. von Mueller.
On 29 September Standish referred M's letter to Superintendent Lyttleton 'for his remarks'. Standish thought M's request could be granted 'without inconvenience, for it will be observed that what is applied for is not that a Constable or more should be permanently told off for the purpose, but that on Saturdays, Sundays & Holydays a Constable in uniform may be in the Gardens'. On 8 October Lyttleton replied: 'If the Chief Commr wishes I can occasionally allow a Constable to patrol the Botl gardens but they are so large that I think it would be of little use. On Sundays there are always police on duty about the gardens and I will see that there shall be one also on holidays & Saturdays.'
Please cite as “FVM-68-09-27,” 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