Botanic Garden
Melbourne, 2nd January 1873
Sir
I have the honor to recommend for your favorable consideration the solicitation of gardener Coller, who was prevented by illness to be at his post in the Botanic Garden during 15 days of December as set forth in his letter appended.1 Mr. Coller proved one of the most skilful and trustworthy gardeners here for many years and for this reason I placed him since about 10 years in charge of one of the nurseries with forcing pits &c. This kind of work involves frequently extra attendance beyond work hours, for which the enjoyment of cottage accommodation is hardly a sufficient equivalent. As moreover this gardener has a large family of young children, born in the Garden, whom he brings well up, he has some claims for special consideration, and may you therefore be pleased to authorize his full pay for the month, on a distinct understanding that the concession made on this occasion is not construed into a precedent.2
I have the honor to be Sir
your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller,
Direct. botan. Garden.
The Honorable the Commissioner of Lands & Survey.
D. Coller to M, 1 January 1873.
that the concession ... into a precedent. is marked with a line in the margin by unknown. An annotation indicates that the Secretary of Agriculture, A. Wallis, acknowledged M's letter on 6 January 1873; letter not found. Further annotations on the file are illegible.
MS written by Georg Luehmann and signed by M.
Please cite as “FVM-73-01-02,” 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