29/3/76
I herewith send the manuscript for the proposed Museum-Circular, dear Mr Odgers. I wrote it only late this evening, having been very busy to finish off various original observations on plants.1 I intend to call at your office on Saturday, & will bring Balfour's work with me.2 Whatever is to be done for the schools, I require woodcuts.3
I would also mention, that on Friday I shall not be in my office (if it can so be called) as I am summoned to give evidence at the Williamstown court in an action concerning thistles.4
Regardfully
Ferd von Mueller
See Circular, April 1876 (in this edition as 76-04-00). The Chief Secretary, J. MacPherson, minuted his approval on 5 April 1876. On 12 April, M minuted: '1000 copies, in any form Mr Ferres may think fit to choose for this circular'. The Government Printer, J. Ferres, noted 'Supplied' on 25 April and the next day M returned the file 'with best thanks'.
J. H. Balfour was the author of several introductory botany texts, copies of which were in M's library.
M is referring here to preparations for his proposed school flora, which was however aborted in November 1876, after type had been set, when the Chief Secretary, James McCulloch, judged the work of little or no value for schools (K76/13910, unit 883, VPRS 3991/P, VA 860 Chief Secretary’s Office, Public Record Office, Victoria). See Lucas, Maroske & Brown-May (2006), especially pp. 38-9.
See Argus, 1 April 1876, p. 6.
Please cite as “FVM-76-03-29a,” 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