To James McCulloch   23 April 1870

Melbourne botanic Garden,

23 Apr. 1870.

Sir

In compliance with your request I have the honor of transmitting to you herewith a revised schedule of estimates, in which the expenditure with the most rigorous economy is reduced as much as at present possible, unless one or more branches of the services of the botanical establishment were abandoned.

While so largely reducing the expenditure of the establishment, I venture to express an hope, that my authority, which by recent arrangements became very much impaired, will be fully upheld, in order that I may unembarrassed dispose of the employees left under my commands to the best advantage of the public service.

I may be permitted to remark, that the savings, proposed to be effected, would suffice to form a forest establishment, such as I understand it is intended to create at Ballarat.

Direct cash-revenue is not raised in the botanic Garden under existing arrangements but the plants, supplied to churches, schools, cemeteries &c gratuitously, have averaged annually in value at a low estimation at £2000.- (two thousand pounds). To this must be added as a further return of the outlay not only the increasing value of the property of the establishment, but also the professional information afforded verbally or by correspondence or through my works.

I have the honor to be,

Sir, your obedient servant

Ferd. von Mueller, M.D.

Direct. botan. Garden.

 

The hon. the Chief

Secretary & & &

 

Estimate of reduced expenditure in the botanic Garden and the scientific branches connected therewith during 1870.

 

Salary of Director of the botanic Garden and Governments Botanist (inclusive allowance for books, journals, instruments, office light &c) forage, conveyance,

£610

Salary and wages to Office Clerk, operator in Laboratory, Travelling Collector, Custodian of Museum, Gardeners, Carpenter, Carters, Engine Driver, Painter, Labourers, Gardenboys &c

£3590

Purchase of such plants and seeds as are not available for interchange (partly for Museum)

£135

Expense connected with publications of Australian plants and on industrial objects

£105

Stores, Tools, Timbers, Bricks, Labels, Stationery, Coals, Waterpipes, Drainpipes &c

£285

Forage for carthorses, waterbirds, singing birds &c

£105

Transit and incidental expenses, freights and small repairs, farrier work &c

£120

Travelling expenses

£40

Total

£4990

 

List of employees of the botanic Establishment, whose services it is proposed to retain at present and under previous rate of wages

 

J. G. Luehmann,

Office Assistant and Custodian of the phytol. Museum. pr day

9/

Chr. Hoffmann,

Operator in phytochem. Laboratory. Has extra evening Duties, unremunerated.

11/

J. Dallachy,

Botanic Traveller. Pays his own travelling expenses

10/

H. Petersen,

Carpenter. Finds his own tools

9/

J. Walters,1

Gardener in charge of Class ground, Araucaria Slope, Greenhouse, also timekeeper

8/

G. Schneider,

Gardener in charge of Pine- & Oak Nursery and Victoria House

8/

R. Kimpten,

Gardener in charge of general Nursery and adjoining lawns

8/

E. Soues,

Gardener for roadmaking and waterworks

8/

C. Schlipalius,

Gardener in charge of Seed magazine and experimental Ground

8/

W. Lumsden,

Gardener in charge of Conservatory and adjoining Arboretum.

8/

D. Coller,

Gardener in charge of forcing pits and florist flowers

8/

J. Hinze,

Gardener in charge of nursery for industrial and select plants

8/

T. Morrison,

Gardener in charge of western Ground with chiefly American plants

8/

T. Bourke,

Gardener in charge of middle Ground with chiefly African plants

8/

R. Morrison,

Gardener in charge of eastern Ground with chiefly Asiatic plants

8/

H. Hendrick,

Gardener in charge of North Ground with chiefly Australian plants

8/

C. French,

Gardener in charge of old Domain

7/

T. Gulliver,

Gardener in charge of Gov. House Reserve

7/6

T. Sullivan,

Senior Carter, has sunday duties unpaid

8/

D. O'Leary,

Junior Carter has sunday duties unpaid

7/

D. Manzie,

General Garden Labourer.

7/

A. Neate,

Messenger and assistant in clerical work

7/

S. Cottrell,

Garden labourer and in charge of Aviary and waterbirds

6/

T. Gulliver, jun.,

Garden labourer in Gov. House Reserve

6/

H. Moran,

Junior Gardener, assisting in select culture

5/

T. Mehan,

Junior Gardener, in Pine Plantations and Nurseries

4/

T. Davies,

Junior Gardener, in soil depot and general Garden

4/

W. Chisholm,

Junior worker in the Laboratory

4/

G. Smith,

Junior worker in forcing pits

3/6

T. Bates,

Junior worker on Yarra Ground

3/6

C. Richards,

Junior worker in the Museum

3/6

T. Rutherford,

Gardenboy

2/6

E. Bourke,

Gardenboy

2/6

J. Pitcher,

Gardenboy

2/6

 

Remarks: 8 Hours Work; 5 Holydays, no Sunday pay; no pay in illness, unless through accident, cottage allowance only in lieu of pay for Sunday duties.

i.e. Watters.

Please cite as “FVM-70-04-23a,” 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 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/70-04-23a