Melbourne, 26 Novbr. 1895
I have the honor to inform you that I have just received a large consignment of splendid specimens of dried plants from the Botanic Museum of Vienna. As my Branch has no vote for Contingencies1 I would submit for your favorable consideration whether the charges for freight &c. on same, amounting according to the enclosed account to £2.4/8d, could not be paid by the Stores and Transport Dept. or out of some other vote.2
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your obedient servant
Ferd von Mueller,
Govt. Botanist
C. A. Topp Esq M.A.
Under Secretary
From the financial year 1892/93, the budget for the Government Botanist included only salaries. M had arranged to pay for 'contingencies', that is operating expenses, himself out of the difference between his salary and a pension that he would receive if he were retrenched, see M to A. McLean, 7 June 1892.
MS annotation, 27 November 1895: 'For Instructions[.] I think this might be paid from the Incidental Vote of the Under Secretary'. Topp minuted 'Yes' the same day and a note was sent to Luehmann to that effect.
MS written by G. Luehmann and signed by M.
Please cite as “FVM-95-11-26,” 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