To Frederick Standish   6 May 1869

Melbourne bot Garden

6/5/69.

Sir

I have the honor to solicit, that you will take into favorable consideration, whether not a constable could traverse for some time to come regularly at night hours through the reserve between the City-bridge, Yarra and botanic Garden. The gradually upgrowing park vegetation gives to vagrants and to people of bad moral now more and more shelter, and I am very much afraid, that the young forest will become the regular resort of the lowest individuals, unless they are methodically driven from their beat. Altho' the employees of the garden are occasionally trying to clear the ground at night time, I cannot in justice ask them to perform in addition to heavy daywork also night duty, even if they were invested with authority to arrest, which is not the case. By the time a policeman is sent for the vagrants and prostitutes have disappeared and if I therefore not enjoy your powerful aid in the manner solicited, all my attempts to maintain propriety in the ground will be hopeless.

I may add, that the labor fund, now more limited than formerly, is so heavily taxed already in my department, as to render payments for nightduties to me an impossibility

I have the honor to be, Sir, your very obedient

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

The Chief Commissioner of police

&c &c &c1

1
On 6 May Standish minuted: 'Referred to Supt Lyttleton for report. He is of course aware that the complaint of Dr Von Mueller is but too well founded.' Lyttleton in turn asked his officer, L. Kabat, for his report. On 7 May Kabat reported: 'Prior to my being removed to Beechworth I have told off Constable in plain cloths on several occasions, to pay strict attention to the reserve mentioned by professor Müeller[.] Number of men & women were arrested & some sentenced to twelve months imprisonment other's to three & six months. To remedy entirely the evil complained of it will be necessary to tell off some Constables especially for the Yarra Reserve, but should you think it unnecessary, I'll again tell off some good Constables in plain cloths giving them instructions to arrest men & women of bad character who frequent the part referred to at night.' Lyttleton instructed Kabat to send two constables in plain clothes to the reserve. A further annotation indicates that a reply was sent to M on 10 May 1869, but this has not been found.

Please cite as “FVM-69-05-06,” 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 19 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/69-05-06