Melbourne botan. Garden
22/3/69
Sir
I have the honor to inform you, that I have been directed by the trustees of the Royal Park at a meeting held this day, to solicit your favorable consideration to the subjoined schedule of expenditure, which is likely to arise for the proper maintenance of the Park during the year 1869. Considering that not unconsiderable sums are expended on other suburban parks and aware, that the Royal Park is the only near place of recreation for the northwestern part of the city and for Brunswick and Flemington, the trustees regard the sums set forth not to be in excess of requirements, altho' it supplements by the sum of £470 the estimate of the Acclimation Society. The trustees are anxious, that not only the fences should be repaired and partly renewed, but also that the system of water-works should be extended, and lines of trees be planted along the drive.
I have further been requested to inform you, Sir, that noxious effluvia find their way from the Small-pox Hospital of the Royal park to a natural drain towards one of the entrance Gates and to near the public road, and the trustees beg respectfully to submit, that thus the public safety may be endangered. The Trustees are also of opinion, that the Hospital in the Park is too near the public thoroughfare to secure passers bye against infection, and altho' such a hospital for a brief period of emergency may serve its present purpose, they venture to hope that a more isolated locality may early be found for those sick of contagious or infectious disease.
The trustees desire me to express their best thanks for your kind intention and that of the hon. the Chief Secretary to visit the Royal Park during the Easter time and they will feel honored to attend on the honorable Gentlemen.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
your very obedient
Ferd. von Mueller
The honorable J. M. Grant, M.P.
President of the Board of Land & Works1
Estimate of Expenditure of the Royal Park
| Water Supply |
£86.—.— |
| Laying water pipes 1' 1470 yds |
205.1.9 |
| 42 taps a 8/6 & hoses |
23.17.— |
| Fencing, Repairs to Flemington gate and fencing cultivation paddocks etc |
203.13.— |
| New Lodge for Flemington Road gate |
40.—.— |
| Cultivating 91 acres of ground new plantation |
234.—.— |
| Carriage drive to be followed up as marked on plan and part already made to be kept in proper order and repair |
238.15.— |
| Outside fence renewing and repairs to old roads, gates etc. |
470.—.— |
|
£1501.6.9 |
|
|
Say |
£1500. —2 |
On 23 March 1869 the Assistant Commissioner for Crown Lands and Survey, C. Hodgkinson, responded: 'The Honble the Commissioner of Lands & Survey having instructed me to state my views relative to this estimate I beg to state that I think it inexpedient to incur such a large expenditure for pipes & water taps, which expenditure would be greater than the total sum expended on pipes and taps on all the parks and gardens vested in the Board of Land & Works. Instead of planting, in the Royal Park avenues, trees that would be dependent on irrigation for their growth, it would be better to plant such trees only as have been proved to be capable of growing well in properly prepared ground without watering. In this category are some of the most ornamental and quick growing kinds of Coniferae, many of which stand drought as well as the indigenous Eucalypti. There are also some good shade spreading trees which will thrive well in ordinary soil as avenue trees without irrigation. I personally regret that in the reserves under my immediate control such a great extension has been given to the plantation of all kinds of deciduous trees, for during the scanty supply of water obtainable for irrigation this summer the foliage of the more tender kinds such as Chestnut, Beech, Sycamore, Hickory &c has been much scorched'.
A grant of £1,000 for the Acclimatisation Society was included in the Chief Secretary's estimates for 1870 (Victoria, Parliamentary Paper 1870 B 2, p. 17). For further backgound, see M to J. Grant, 11 March 1869 (in this edition as 69-03-11a) and notes thereto.
For a copy of this letter see A345 Royal Park Trustees letter and minute book, Mitchell Library, Sydney.
Please cite as “FVM-69-03-22,” 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