To William Guilfoyle   15 October 1870

The attack was a letter from Josiah Mitchell to the Leader (Melbourne), 24 September 1870, pp. 7-8. For a summary, see notes to M to W. Guilfoyle, 29 September 1870. Moore's response was a letter to the Editor of the Leader , 4 October 1870; it was published as 'The Sydney exhibition' in the edition of 15 October 1870, p. 7. Moore wrote

Sir, — My attention has been drawn to a letter which appeared in The Leader of the 24th ult., written partly in praise of Mr. Hill, of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, for his very varied and excellent exhibits, at our late Intercolonial Exhibition, but principally for the purpose, as I take it, to hang a peg on which to very severely, and I think, unjustly, reflect on my friend and professional colleague, Dr. Von Mueller. As it was mainly at my instigation that any plants were sent from the Melbourne garden to our Exhibition, I may be permitted to offer a few remarks in reference to the strictures passed concerning them in the letter in question. It is quite true that many of the these (sic) plants were small but most of them were rare, and very interesting on account of their medicinal and economical properties, and one—the variegated, Dracoena australis (sic: Dracaena)— perhaps the most valuable, in a commercial sense, of any sent to the Exhibition. As a whole, these plants had not the meretricious importance in the eyes of superficial observers that those had from other gardens of a more showy description; but they were nevertheless objects of considerable interest to a vast number of visitors, and I cannot, therefore, but think that the unfavorable criticism of your correspondent was undeserved. I would also observe, that while in that letter the splendid collection of products of plants indigenous to the colony of Victoria, exhibited by Dr. Mueller, is totally ignored, the utmost care was taken to bring prominently under notice almost every plant and product exhibited by Mr. Hill, who, by the way, richly deserves all the praise given to him. Yet, if I mistake not, the author of the letter must be aware, as well as every intelligent person who may have read it, that were Dr. Mueller the most talented cultivator of plants in this or any other part of the world, he could not in your climate produce the same kinds of exhibits that Mr. Hill did. Of the very full list given of these, there are not more than about half a dozen, if so many, that could be grown without protection about Melbourne; but I venture to assert that most, if not all, the plants which enabled Mr. Hill to make such a really interesting display, will be found growing in your botanic gardens. I would further state, as one of the committee appointed to revise the awards made by the jugdes (sic) in the first instance, that great difficulty was experienced by them in finally deciding which of the two collections of exhibits, sent respectively by Dr. Mueller and Mr. Hill, was the most deserving of especial commendation, and in the end silver medals were awarded to both. I am, &c.,

CHARLES MOORE.

Botanic gardens, Sydney, 4th Oct.

The Leader added a parenthetical comment below the letter: 'From the above the public will infer that Dracoena terminalis was the only plant shown by Dr. Mueller that was worthy of mention. Mr. Mitchell cannot be far wrong after all.— Ed.'