The Library was valued in 1865 by a professional Gentleman at £1200. By far the greatest portion, including nearly all the larger works was acquired by purchases of my own since 1840, including many exceedingly rare books. On the suggestion of the honor. Will. Haines I parted with it in 1865, but with a distinct understanding, that it should be left under my own control, for the undisturbed continuation of my researches. I asked and obtained for it or rather the extensive private portion of it only £600; and had my income ever been equal to that of any other officer of my rank, this arrangement would not have been made. These £600 have long since been spent again for additional works. The acquisitions obtained through interchanges consisted chiefly of small essays and journals, but contained also up to 1865 part of Martius Flora Braziliensis, part of Willkomm & Lange's Flora Hispanica, and part of Miquel's Museum bot. Leyden &c. My own works were not published for any extensive interchanges of books, but with a view of diffusing information, and thus called for by Parliament for distribution among the members of both Houses of the Legislature, Mechanics Institutes &c, just like the Exhibition essays, and numerous other Documents published by this Government are freely distributed, and just like the American Legislature distributes gratuitously 255,000 copies of the annual volume on Agriculture. Furthermore my own works had to be supplied to numerous amateur collectors, who furnished material for the volumes and contributed to the bot Museum. Irrespective of this many copies were sold at the Gov. Printing office, I myself having been an extensive private purchaser for the public benefit. I even bought on one occasion numerous copies of Harveys phycologia at a private expense of £60 to encourage Departmental Interchanges. The edition moreover was comparatively small. No votes whatever were provided or expended for books ever since the special grant was obtained from Parliament in 1865, nor were any votes whatever obtained before. The expenditure of £60 out of a vote for Books last year, the only vote for purpose since 1865, was disallowed altho' I respectfully asked for the timely transmission of the sum to the Agent General and specified the books urgently required for my Departmental researches and obtainable within that amount, and thus this sum, which in justice should be revoted, has lapsed, while the Observatory and indeed every other public Department, except my own, has votes for books, mine having to be provided for out of my already otherwise heavily taxed private means. As this correspondence is most harassing to me, after the full explanations prior to the arrangements in 1865, I should be willing to repurchase the Library, without which I cannot work, and effect the repurchase by instalments out of my salary, as my whole private property — once considerable — has been sunk in my scientific researches and the departmental service
Ferd. von Mueller
7/9/73.2
The Under Secretary, W. Odgers, referred M's letter to the Minister of Agriculture, J. Casey, on 12 September. On 16 September Casey minuted: 'Having perused these papers I think the only proper course to pursue is to request the hon Chief Secretary to direct that the books shall be at once returned to the place whence they were taken. When the arrangt was made transfng the Govt Botanist to the Dept of the hon Chief Sey no order was made with respect to the library and I respectfully submit that the Govt Botanist acted wholly without authority in removing any of these books without first asking the approval of either the hon Chief Secy or myself. I should be most happy to allow the Govt Botanist the free use of the library as he is the free use of the Herbarium The books can be safely and convently kept in the Quarters of the Curator of the Bot Gardens & the Govt Botanist can obtain any of them from time to time as he requires them. But I submit he should first be requested to return them, whence he took them without authority.'
On 20 September Francis minuted: 'Is there any record of the arrangement made, as alleged, with Mr Haines?' Odgers ordered that a search be made for any relevant papers. A list of files was subsequently appended: M864 (see M to J. McCulloch, 21 January 1865), O6131 (see footnotes of J. Moore to M, 29 June 1866), N6240 (not found), and D1161 (see M to W. Odgers, 1 September 1873).
On 15 December Wallis wrote to Francis: 'The library of the Botanical Garden, which was removed without permission by the govt Botanist, has not yet been restored to this Department. Mr Casey directs me to state that he will be obliged to the Honble The Chief Secretary, if he will order its replacement at his earliest convenience.' (C73/16102, unit 746, VPRS 3991/P, PROV).
There is no record of Francis having taken any action, and it would appear that M retained control of the books, most of which were in his house when he died.
Please cite as “FVM-73-09-07,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/73-09-07