To Joseph Hooker¹    26 March 1873

Private

26/3/73.

I thank you for all your Sympathy and kind advise dear Dr Hooker.² But allow me to say, I have only three Gardeners for all my extensive trenched ground, lawns, nurseries, conservatories &c &c. Therefore how can I employ a head-gardener; he would not work, and eat up all my three Gardeners get taken together! Kindly remember this once famous establishment has sunk to £100 pr month, out of which miserable amount the Clerk and accountant, 3 Gardeners, 1 Carpenter, 1 Carter, 1 Messenger, 1 Amanuensis of the Museum, 1 Operator in the Laboratory, one seed collector, 1 Engine Driver for water works, besides for signwriting, painting, glazing, gate-keeping, Sundays duty, small repairs &c &c has to be paid, i.e. £1200 for the whole year!! How can I pay out of that a Head Gardener in this expensive country.

I have a small storevote, the £100 for Bentham, my own poor Salary extra of the £1200 - -

Let me hope that all your difficulties are at an end! The idea is monstrous to break up Kew! Why Kew has done more since your fathers time with your and Benthams help for phytography than the rest of the world taken together. England, its nati[ves], should be proud of Kew; what will the next generations say, when the permanent work done at Kew will show itself in its full glory³

Always your

Ferd von Mueller