Botanic Garden
Melbourne, 3rd December 1872
Sir
I have the honor to bring under your notice that, as pointed out in my letter of 4th September, the present store vote of the Botanic Garden is insufficient to cover the absolutely necessary expenditure for tools, coal, forage, etc. for the current financial year. This will be manifest when it is considered, that the original vote was equally divided between the Govt. House Domain and the Botanic Garden, although the expenditure for the former was — with the exception of outlay for coal — not calculated at more than about £25.- .- per annum. In consequence the liabilities up to date will nearly exhaust the whole vote. I have therefore the honor to solicit that provision be made to increase the same by the sum of £110.- .-, the sum withdrawn being £170.-.
I have the honor further to bring under your notice that, as the Govt. House Domain will not bear half the expenditure for wages up to October 31st, but only the sum of £357.-, the means available will not permit me to retain the services of all the present employees, but that I shall be obliged to discharge one of the three remaining gardeners, unless the wages vote is supplemented by an additional grant.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your obedient servant.
Ferd. von Mueller,
Director botanic Garden.
The Honorable the Commissioner of Lands1
See also M to J. Casey, 11 December 1872.
On 17 December 1872 the Secretary of Agriculture, A. Wallis, minuted: 'The Govt Botanist requests that provision be made to increase the store vote of the Botanical Garden by £110. He also complains that unless the wages vote is supplemented by an additional grant he will be unable to retain the services of one of the three gardeners now employed. With regard to Dr Mueller's application for an additional grant of £110 for stores, it must be borne in mind that when the area known as the Govt House Domain was taken from under his control the original vote of £340 was equally divided between it and the Botanical Garden proper; and as the area under Dr Mueller's exclusive supervision is less than ⅓ of the outer grounds alluded to it will be clear that he has been conceded a liberal share of the original amount. Notwithstanding, I find that the Botanical Garden vote is already overdrawn, moreover, that £77.3.11 have been expended since the above mentioned division was made by Mr Hodgkinson and adopted by the Cabinet & Parliament. Since, then, the Govt Botanist, knowing the amount of the vote granted by Parliament, has chosen to exceed such sum, he alone must be held responsible. I cannot certify to the expenditure. Concerning Dr Mueller's complaint respecting wages. When the division of the area formerly under the Govt Botanists control was made, he was requested to reduce his staff accordingly, it being left for him to decide which of the men employed should be retained in the Botanical Garden and which handed over to the Domain. The Govt Botanist preferred, however, to retain the services of clerks instead of Gardeners, and, though I do not approve of the selection he has made, I will not interfere with him, at the same time, I cannot entertain his application for increase of vote, since I consider that the sum granted to him — viz £1557, or over ⅔ of the original vote — is ample for labour within the Botanic Garden proper.' Casey added on 19 December: 'So inform the Govt Botanist'.
MS written by Georg Luehmann and signed by M.
Please cite as “FVM-72-12-03,” 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