17th March [189]3
Sir
I have the honor to direct your attention to a letter in this morning's Courier signed "Henry Tryon",1 in which my professional abilities are called in question; as well as my truthfulness. For in a circular which I had issued to fellow botanists2 (a copy of which I gave to Mr Tryon when he called in at my office yesterday) I stated that I had been requested by a large number of the botanical public to undertake a certain work.
Had the letter been written by one outside the Service, I should have treated it with silent contempt, but for one civil servant to write contemptuously of an officer of another department, in the public press, surely is not allowable; and I therefore bring the matter before you with the request that you will draw the Minister's attention to the subject, which is a serious one and calculated to interfere with the progress of the important work intrusted to my hands.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your obedient servant
F. M. Bailey
Colonial Botanist
The Under Secretary for Agriculture
Please cite as “FVM-M93-03-17,” 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