Melbourne Botanic Garden
26/7/70
Sir
I have the honor by direction of the Trustees of the Royal Park to inform you, that at a meeting, held yesterday, it was resolved to transmit to you the by following documents, bearing on the defalcations of the Park Revenue by E. Lissignol, late Park Ranger.1
The preliminary enquiries pursued by the Auditor and Attorney, and also a lengthened subsequent consideration of this case by the Trustees, have prevented them from bringing the case earlier before you.
The Trustees direct me also to state that every facility will be afforded by them to pursue any further enquiry into this case, which the Government may be inclined to institute.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your obedient servant
(signed) Ferd. von Mueller
Hon. Sec. Trust. Roy. Park
The Honorable the Chief Secretary
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Statement of the Trustees of the Royal Park, concerning the defalcations of the Park Revenue by E. Lissignol, late Park Ranger.
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At a meeting of the Trustees of the Royal Park held on the 29th June 1869, one tender was selected from amongst eight tenders for one year's grazing right at the Royal Park, such tenders having been called for by due public notice.
The tender thus accepted was sent in by Mr. Jos Roddick of Melbourne, and the amount of this tender was £208.—. E. Lissignol, then Ranger of the Park, was in attendance at that meeting, and received at once instructions verbally and on the same day in writing also, to carry out the necessary arrangements for giving effect to this tender, and to see to its due observance on behalf of the Trustees. On several subsequent occasions he stated to Dr. Thomas Black, one of the Trustees, that a lease was duly prepared, that the rents were received quarterly and paid regularly to the credit of the Trustees into the Bank of Victoria. It appears, however, from a report of Mr. W.F.A. Rucker, auditor, (report herewith annexed) that he purchased at once for the sum of £10 (Ten pounds) Mr. Jos Roddick's claims for grazing right without the knowledge and consent of the Board of Trustees; he also avoided to prepare any lease, but commenced forthwith to raise grazing fees as extensively as the nature of the Park permitted, and continued to do so till he left.
The fees were collected by the wife of lodgekeeper Meaker at the Royal Park, whom he authorized to obtain such fees, and whom he further instructed to give receipts on behalf of Mr. Jos Roddick, and to hand the proceeds over to himself. E. Lissignol also acknowledged the receipt of each payment to himself by entering the amounts on the blocks of the receipt books, and attaching to them Roddick's initials. Mr. Jos Roddick states however, that he gave no authority for the use of his name or initials in these signatures. The proceeds so collected by Mrs Meaker and paid over from time to time to E. Lissignol from 26th June 1869 till 7th May 1870 amounted to Five hundred and five pounds thirteen shillings Sterling (£505.13/—[)]2 — as shown in the return annexed to the auditor's report.
The accounts kept by E. Lissignol in reference to the Royal Park were under the process of being audited at the time of his departure, which took place on 21st May last,3 but it appears from the auditor's report, that none of the grazing fees obtained by Lissignol were paid to the credit of the Trustees.
On Lissignol leaving the colony he professed himself ignorant of any errors in his Park accounts, or if any existed, he thought they could be only very trifling, and he held himself responsible for them if such could be shown at the completion of the audit.
Appended herewith are the following documents
Marked A, Report of the auditor Mr. W.F.A. Rucker
Marked B, Legal report obtained by the Trustees from Mr. Fred. G. Moule, who already on behalf of the Acclimatisation Society instituted some enquiry into this case.4
The minute book of the Trustees and any other documents bearing on this case and in the possession of the Trustees can at any time be transmitted.
Legal advice had been sought in M to F. Moule, 21 June 1870 (in this edition as 70-06-21b).
editorial addition.
He left on 22 May 1870, after being arrested that day on another embezzlement of the Society, and released on payment of the amount by a friend; see Age (Melboure), 23 May 1870, p. 2, and notes to M to J. MacPherson, 18 July 1870.
Neither of the documents said to have been appended has been found.
Please cite as “FVM-70-07-26,” 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