Melbourne bot Museum,
19/7/73.
Sir,
I have the honor to transmit to you the byefollowing notes, received from the Lands Department, and my minute of reply, feeling that according to the wording or at least the spirit of the Civil Service Act these communications should be transmitted through your office.1 I have further the honor to solicit, that you will allow me to continue the control over my Library, which I commenced forming 34 years ago, and without which my researches could not be continued.
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller.
The Honorable the Chief Secretary.
If you deem it desirable I can select the few books of special horticultural interest for being placed in the Garden building2
M to A. Wallis, 19 July 1873 is M's reply. The notes from the Lands Department are included in n. 1 to that letter.
Francis minuted in reply: 'As a first step towards a satisfactory dealing with this matter, I must request Dr Mueller, with the aid of his assistant, to give me, as soon as they can be compiled, a Catalogue of the Books, & an Inventory of every instrument or article (not being specimen plants, leaves or seeds) which were removed from the Botanical Gardens within the knowledge of Dr Mueller — as well as an Inventory of the same description of articles or others previously in his Museum or its premises. I shall then be better able to judge between the claimants.'
M to J. Francis, August 1873 (in this edition as 73-08-00) transmitted the requested inventories, but they have not been found.
Please cite as “FVM-73-07-19a,” 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