To Graham Berry   27 June 1885

Melbourne,

27 June 1885.

To the honorable Graham Berry, M.L.A.

Chief Secretary

 

Sir.

I have the honor to report, that on the 30th June 1885 I shall reach my 60th year; but as I am able to continue my duties of Governments Botanist quite well and have directed the whole studies of my life for that duty, I beg to solicit, that I may be allowed to continue in the service of the Government in the position of Governments Botanist.1

I have the honor to be,

Sir, your obedient servant

Ferd. von Mueller.

1
According to the rules of the Public Service Act, M, who was about to turn 60, was required to retire; however, under the rules applying when he had joined he was entitled to yearly extension at the discretion of the Governor in Council. On 6 July 1885, Berry recommended that M 'continue to perform his duties until it shall be further ordered'. The Public Service Board replied on 22 July, saying that M's continued employment 'must be determined not upon individual claims but solely upon public grounds'. The public grounds, sent to the Board on 28 August, included M's 'altogether unique and exceptional knowledge of Botany', which, along with his many previous and ongoing publications, enabled him 'to point out from time to time such plants, trees, &c as can be usefully introduced and grown here for economical or other purposes: … He is also continuing in the interests of the Colony his extensive correspondence with the Scientific Botanists all over the World, … [and] he is still quite fit to continue in the discharge of his duties.' On 15 September the Board recommended that his services be retained until 30 June 1886 (C85/7423, unit 170, VPRS 3992/P, PROV).

Please cite as “FVM-85-06-27,” 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/85-06-27