Melbourne botanic Garden
6/2/73.
Sir
I have the honor to transmit to you herewith a copy of a letter, adressed by me on the 25th January to the honorable Duncan Gillies,1 who acted as Minister of the Lands Department in your absence. My object of submitting this copy is merely to draw at the earliest opportunity after your return though the honorable Gentleman is also certain to confer with you early on this subject2 respectfully your attention to the facts contained in my communication, more particularly as the Secretary of the Agricultural Department continues to hold interviews with Gardeners Coller and Schneider, without taking the slightest notice whatever of the Director of the botanic Garden, he having yesterday evening again without any communication with me demanded returns of the plants, placed by me under the charge of these employees. I am convinced that these demands are made without ministerial authority, as otherwise they would be asked in regular course from the Director through his Office. I have now instructed the Gardeners to inform the Secretary of Agriculture, should he again make his appearance at the nursery to direct him at once for any information to the Director's Office.
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller,
Direct. botan. Garden.
The honorable J. J. Casey,
Minister of the Lands Department.3
See M to D. Gillies, 25 January 1873 (in this edition as 73-01-25a).
though the honorable Gentleman is also certain to confer with you early on this subject is a marginal note by M with its intended position indicated by an asterisk.
On 8 February 1873 the Secretary of Agriculture, A. Wallis, minuted: 'Mr Murphy, Acknowledge and state that the Honble The Minister of Agriculture is at present absent in New Zealand, but directly he returns I will submit letter to him.'
In an annotation with M to D. Gilles, 13 February 1873, Casey noted that he did 'not see any impropriety in the Secretary for Agriculture conveying the Minister's instructions to any officer in the Department'.
Please cite as “FVM-73-02-06,” 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