Botanic Museum
Melbourne, 4/1/77
Sir,
I have the honour of submitting herewith a copy of the new edition of "Plants for Victorian industrial culture"1 and also the accounts of the printers. From the latter it will be seen that the work has been considerably enlarged and its value proportionately augmented. This increase, however, also causes a greater cost than originally estimated, and I beg to enquire most respectfully whether there are any means of providing this sum of £54.10/- at an early period, so as to obviate the inconvenience to the printers of waiting for the payment of the accounts for a series of months.
I also have the honour to enquire whether it meets with your approval that one thousand (1000) copies be sent to the office of the Government Printer, to be advertised for sale in the Government Gazette.2
I would further suggest that a copy be sent to each of the state-schools, for occasional reference; if this meets with the approval of the Government I would request that I may be informed how many copies have to be forwarded to the Education Department.3
I yet have the honour to enquire if it will be necessary in the distribution of this publication to seek in every instance the approval of the Honorable the Minister, or whether the official distribution will be left to my discretion, of course exact record being kept of the volumes thus distributed on behalf of the Government.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your most obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller.
The Honorable
the Chief Secretary.4
B76.12.04.
No advertisement has been found in the Government Gazette.
See also M to R. Ramsay, 11 January 1877.
On 10 January 1877 the Under Secretary, W. Odgers, minuted: 'The Chief Secretary has approved the a/c for £180. wh may be passed for payment. There are no available funds for meeting the excess of expenditure. A note of the item shd be made for next Estimates — A dozen copies of the work to be sent to this Office and a like number to the Minister of Public Instn whose opinion should be invited as to supplying State Schools. — Baron Von Mueller had better consult with Gov. Printer in regard to Sale of the publication. The distribution of additional copies is left to Gov. Botanist.' M returned this minute 'with thanks' on 19 January.
MS annotation in an unknown hand dated 5 February: 'What is to be done with the 12 copies now recd?' To which a further note was added in an unknown hand: '[…] wants six'.
No list of recipients of the work, such as M undertook to keep, has been found.
MS written by Georg Luehmann and signed by M.
Please cite as “FVM-77-01-04,” 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