Melbourne,
23 April 1880.
W. H. Odgers Esqr,
Undersecretary.
Sir
In compliance with the request, conveyed by your circular 2139,1 I have the honor to submit herewith my propositions for the estimates of the Gov. Botanists Department during the financial year 1880-1881.2 Though my Department in latter years has become reduced to extremely narrow resources, I have in accordance with the wish of the Government effected some reductions in the present estimate, and also changed the wording of some items, so that each vote may be utilized to best advantage, particularly during the time of the forthcoming international Exhibition.3 As the means of the Department, compared to all others, are so slender, I am unable to save any sums from the votes of the current year, unless I stop the lithographic or xylographic work althogether. I may be allowed to repeat a remark, which accompanied my estimates of the current years, to the effect, "that I should hail with gratitude any additional provision, which the Ministerial Chief may feel pleased to render for the resuscitation of my Department as a whole, and if desired can afford fuller explantations of my views on this subject."4
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller,
Gov. Botanist.
| Gov. Botanist (no quarters) | £800.- .- |
| Clerk (Museum) | £225.- .- |
| Assistant (out-door) | £175.- .- |
| £1200.- .- | |
| Museum-Material, Stationery and Plants | £130.- .- |
| Books, Instruments, bot. collections, seeds, travelling- and incidental expenses, involving wages of an Office-boy | £280.- .-5 |
| Publication of works on Australian plants, including Draftsman's & Lithographers work for Eucalyptus-Atlas | £170.- .- |
| Paper for lithograms | £75.- .- |
| Collector of plants for a new edition of the Flora Australiensis | £125.- .- |
| £780.- .- | |
|
Total |
£1980.- .- |
W. Odgers to M, 19 April 1880.
M to J. Patterson, 23 April 1880, is a request for capital funds for building works.
International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1880-1. See also M to W. Odgers, 12 June 1880.
M to W. Odgers, 14 April 1879.
The estimates ordered to be printed 28 October 1880 show £330 for this heading, a response to the request in M to W. Odgers, 12 June 1880 (Estimates of reevenue and expenditure for the year ending 30 June 1881, Parliamentary paper 1880 B-15, p. 17).
Please cite as “FVM-80-04-23a,” 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