Returned with my grateful appreciation of the information contained in these documents.1
Ferd. von Mueller
21/3/70.
On 20 December 1869 the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Young, wrote to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Earl Granville: 'Dr Mueller, Director of the Botanic Gardens at Melbourne, Victoria, has applied to me in pressing terms for seeds of the various Pines, Maples &c which flourish in British North America. He states that for several years he has made ineffectual attempts to procure them, as he considers that it is "of great importance that the noble Forest Trees of Canada should be introduced into Her Majestys Australian Dominions". As I know Dr Mueller to be a most intelligent and efficient laborer in the field to which he has devoted his ability, I have felt anxious to meet his wishes, and as there are no public bodies or Institutions in these parts with whom a system of interchange could be inaugurated, I have procured a quantity of seeds at my own cost, whose safe transmission from hence to England & from England to Melbourne I trust Your Lordship will have the goodness to direct. Dr Mueller informs me that the Government is wont to permit and frank the sendings of moderate dimensions by the mail. It is not easy to limit the seeds of Pines and Maples and the Acorns of Oaks &c. to a small compass, but I hope the package which I send will not be in excess of the privilege allowed for public purposes such as it is meant to serve.'
Granville ordered that a copy of Young's letter be sent to the Agent General of Victoria, G. Verdon, with the advice that the box of seeds was too large to be forwarded in the mail bags from the Secretary of State's office and therefore it should be placed in Verdon's hands for transmission. On 28 January 1870, Verdon wrote from England to Victoria's Chief Secretary, J. MacPherson, advising him of the shipment of Young's box of seeds on board Crusader in charge of the Surgeon-Superintendent. The Under Secretary, W. Odgers, forwarded the correspondence relating to the box of seeds to M on 21 March 1870.
On 30 March Odgers ordered the Secretary of the Tender Board to deliver the box of seeds to M when Crusader arrived in Melbourne but the Acting Secretary of the Tender Board, G. Lane, reported on 25 May that M had obtained the box of seeds himself direct from the Surgeon.
See also M to W. Odgers, 23 June 1870 (in this edition as 70-06-23a).
Please cite as “FVM-70-03-21,” 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