To John MacPherson   21 September 1876

Melbourne,

21/9/76.

The hon. J. Macpherson,

Chief Secretary &c.

 

Sir,

In reference to former correspondence1 I have now the honor to suggest, that the tender of Mess. Carron, Bird & Co. for printing the "industrial plants" should be accepted,2 as the Gov. Printing office is so overwhelmed with work, that the issue of the volume there could only be effected after many months delay. I would however draw your attention respectfully to the fact, that it would be a pity to limit the copies of such an important work for our colonial community to 1000 copies, and this would be all, that could be brought out with the votes at my own disposal. If by some means a vote could be rendered available, to which 2000 copies more could be charged at the comparatively small expense of £80 additional, then a fair number of copies would be got for distributing the work widely over the colony.3 Failing in this, I would beg to ask whether the printer, while the work is in type, would be permitted to strike off as many copies extra, as he could dispose of by sale.4

I have the honor to be,

Sir, your obedient

Ferd. von Mueller.

1
See M to W. Odgers, 2 September 1876.
2
See McCarron, Bird & Co. to M, 10 August 1876. The work was published as B76.13.03.
3
On 13 September the Acting Govt Printer submitted an estimate of the cost of 'Printing & Binding with Stiff Wrapper’ of ‘The Proceedings of the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria about 240 pp'. The prices quoted were £113.10 for 1,000 copies, £159.10 for 2,000, $206 for 3,000 and £297.10 for 5,000.
4
On 22 September 1876 MacPherson minuted: 'Approved for 1000 copies With right to take more at rates mentioned after proof copy exhibited.’ In an undated minute he amended: '3000 copies appd', and W. Odgers, the Under Secretary, sent the file to M on 10 October. M returned the file on 14 October 'with a solicitation that the needful sum for the additional 2000 copies may be provided on the estimates'. Against M's note MacPherson minuted: 'Provide', and under that, in an unknown hand, ‘is the amount £80' and a note to the applicable code for the estimates: 'vote 14/2'.

Please cite as “FVM-76-09-21,” 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 19 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/76-09-21