To William Thiselton-Dyer¹    17 April 1892

Easter, 1892.²

Since some time, dear Dr Dyer, it was my intention, to write to you, more particularly in reference to some alterations in the working means also of my Department, decided on in the early part of the year, when the Ministry with diminished revenue very rightly resolved, to reduce the Gov. expenditures in this colony; but as the measures, affecting the working of my Establishment, were hitherto not altogether determined, I refrained from writing earlier to you on this subject. Indeed, I would not have referred to it in our correspondence at all, had not some Eu[ro]pean³ journals published articles on the retrenchment[s] also in reference to my institution.⁴ I myself have not wished or caused any public controversy to appear in the press or otherwise[.]⁵ I felt quite sure that I could leave the rearrangements entirely to the feelings of jus[tice] of the members of the Government; so that I caused no notice even to be taken of the impaired resources of my Department either at Hobart, when I was called on to install the Governor, his Excellency Sir Robert Hamilton, as President of the Tasmanian Meeting of the Austral. Assoc. for Advancem. of Science in January 1892. You may be aware, that the Victorian public Service under ordinary circumstance discontinues the holding of office after the 65 year; but a clause in the public Service law empowers the Governor in council, to make exceptions to this rule, for instance in cases of Officers of special professional knowledge, experience and aptitude, so that for instance the Government’s Statist here, holds his appointment still, though he is ov[er] 70 years of age. The Victorian Government has very considerately also allowed me to continue my official position, regazetting my appointment periodically,⁶ and there is every disposition of the Ministry endorsed by public opinion through the colony, that I should be left undisturbed in my administration so long as my mental faculties and physical strength may last. This is all the more cheering to me, as I founded the Gov Botanists Department here myself, as I made my own private collections, commenced in 1840 and enriched by my Australian private travels from 1847-1852, the basis of the great Herbarium here by a free gift to the Department, and as I sunk all my worldly means in my researches and into my establishment, being domestically alone in the world, and leading the simplest life imaginable. You, my honored friend, can therefore readily understand, that to sever me from my collections, commenced in my orphan-boyhood, and to alienate me from my administrative scien[tific] intercourse, would take away from me the only interest, which I can have in life. This you felt yourself, when some few years ago you expressed a hope, that I might continue yet for a long time in my official career.⁷ The financial rearrangement in the Gov Bot. Department is for the present that my title and income remain, and the whole working expenses be brought within £400 exclusive of my own Salary, the working expenses in later years having been £1600. I am therefore still able, to keep the Senior Assistant at a Salary of £325.-.- (remember this is a very expensive colony for living) and a youth at £75 pro anno. But I have reason to hope that some additional provision will be made yet, so that I can keep one of the 2 special junior Assistants for the Herbarium, which now contains nearly one million sheets of plants[.]

As we are all mortal, my bit of worldly career may come by divine ruling perhaps as suddenly to a close as poor Sereno Watson’s, from whom I had only a letter quite recently.⁸ In such an event it is likely that the position of Gov Botanist will here be abolished, to save expenses, and that the herbarium will come under the administration of the Museums Trustees, to whom all other public Science collections are confided; my Senior Assistant remaining in [...]⁹ but I hope yet, to carry on progressive work by God’s grace, some time longer, particularly to bring the elucidation of the Austral. Flora nearer to its conclusion, from which it after my own life’s toil it is not so very distant.

As I alluded to my own monetary status, may I mention, that out of it the Office-rooms (seven) have to be provided, which involves an annual expenditure, including fittings, repairs, taxes, rates, &c of about £200--, reducing thus the Salary of £800 to about £600 - My private book-account has been usually not less than £100 - -, and I have often had a Junior also in the establishment at a private expense. These sacrifices were personally made, so that the here particularly costly lithographic publications and increase of collections and other progressive work could go on with celerity, and with a desire to render my departmental service as inexpensive to the public treasury as possible. Thus I never went to the luxury of having chromo-lithograms done, as has been extensively the case in some other Departments here. As Sir Joseph Hooker and before his administrative time Sir William Hooker took always a generous interest in my fate, I like you to show this letter to your father in law,¹⁰ but I do not desire, that public use be made of it. I have written mainly on the changes in my Department, that you may realize, how much more difficult it will be hereafter, to me carrying on the service in its integrity, but I will exert myself specially in seeing my sendings to Kew not diminished

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.