From William Lamb Smith to the Executors of Mueller's Estate 22 Oct 1896

Valuation of Household Furniture, Effects Books Jewellery &c

In 28 Arnold Street - South Yarra

In the Estate of the late Baron Ferdinand J. H. Von Mueller

Date of Death 10th October 1896

Melbourne 22nd October 1896

Wm Lamb Smith

Auctioneer & Sworn Valuer


	No 1 Office
	Linoleum																	2
	Deal Table					& leaves												5
	"					with drawer												6
	Cedar Chiffonier																	15
	Old Horse hair sofa																	10
	Small			office Table with drawers														15
	"			Cedar Table														4
	Set pigeon Holes																	5
	Waste paper Basket & measure																	4
	Cedar			Cupboard														5
	"			Chest specimen Drawers												1		10
4	Terra Cotta flower pots																	4
	Cedar chest specimen Drawers															1		15
	Bust of Queen																	10
	Pair Vases																	2
3	C.S.¹			Chairs														6
3	"			& Oak Chairs														12
	Waste paper Basket																	1
2	Cedar Cupboards															1
	Set 4 pigeon Holes																	5
	Small Hamper																	2
	pair Vases																	3
	Oak paper stand																	2
	Cedar Book case															3
	Ink Stand & Twine Box																	2
	Alarum Clock																	2
	Water Jug																	1
	Cash Box																	3
37	Wine Glasses & Tumblers																	10
	Tea & Coffee set															2
	Afternoon Tete a Tete Set																	5
2	Biscuit Barrels																	3
1	Decanter																	2
	Odd China																	3
2	Candlesticks																	1
	fender & irons																	2
9	portraits																	15
	small Cedar Table																	4
														£		17		17
	Hall
	piece Linoleum & 2 mats																	7
	Deal Table																	4
2	C.S. & Oak Chairs																	8
	Oval			Cedar			Table											3
	Small			"			"											4
2	C.S. Chairs																	2
																1		8
	Baron's Study
	Deal Table																	5
	Set pigeon Holes																	4
	small Chest Drawers																	3
2	Paper Stands																	3
	Table with 2 Drawers																	3
3	C.S. & Oak Chairs																	9
2	Wooden Cupboards																	15
	Letter Weight																	10
	Fender & irons																	2
	Book Stand																	5
	pair steps																	4
	Waste Paper Basket																	3
2	Microscopes & 4 Boxes Objects															4
	Level Rule																	10
																7		16
	Bedroom
	Wooden				Bed & Bedding											1		10
	"				Wash stand													5
	Deal	Cupboard																10
	"	Table																8
	Chest Drawers																	10
2	Sets pigeon Holes																	10
	Gilt Clock															1		10
	Hanging Glass																	1
	Compass																	10
	Box Instruments																	8
2	China figures																	6
7	photographs																	7
5	pictures																	5
	Commode																	4
														£		7		4
	Library
	Linoleum																	6
	Fender																	4
	Cedar Table																	10
	Chest 4 Drawers															1
	Cedar Table & Cover																	8
	Biscuit Barrel																	3
	Paper Stand																	2
	Step Ladder																	4
	Small Cedar Table																	4
	Office stool																	2
2	C.S. Chairs																	5
	Office Table																	6
2	Terrestial Globes & Stands																	10
	Wicker stand & Basket																	3
	Alarum Clock																	4
2	Brass plaques																	10
	metal Jug																	2
	Copper Mug																	3
9	Photo frames																	3
	Indian Club																	5
19	Photographs															1
5	Prints																	4
	Large Vase																	4
3	pots																	3
	Oak Ink & Paper Stand																	4
	Pole & Rings																	5
	Illuminated Address																	5
														£		7		19
	No 2 Office
	Step Ladder																	5
	Cedar Table																	5
	Opposum Rug															2
	Sundry frames &c																	10
8	photographs																	8
														£		3		8
	No 3 Office
	Cedar Chest																	5
	Paper Stand																	2
	Office Stand																	8
	Glass Globe																	2
3	Photographs																	3
														£		1
	Kitchen
	Table																	2
	Cupboard																	6
	Chest Drawers																	4
	Stretcher																	4
	Chair																	1
	Odd China																	5
	Iron & Wood Garden Seat																	5
														£		1		7
	Bathroom
	Wash stand & Ware																	3
2	mats & glass																	2
														£				5
	No 4 Office
2	Deal Tables																	6
	Set Pigeon Holes															1
	Spray Bellows																	4
	Scales & Weights																	5
	Waste Paper Basket																	2
														£		1		17
	Yard
	Pestle & mortar																	4
	Old Tin Boxes																	5
	Press																	5
	Iron Barrow																	5
														£				19
	No 5 Office
3	Small Tables																	10
2	Sets pigeon Holes																	8
	Fender Stool & Chair																	6
	Large Set pigeon Holes																	5
	Fender & irons																	2
10	Photographs																	10
2	Poles & Rings																	6
														£		2		7
	Coach House
	Very Old Brougham in dilapidated state & Old Harness													£		8
	Books
962	Vols. of Botanical Works Reports and Handbooks also a quantity of unbound pamphlets and magazines													£		69		18		6
	Books at Museum
147	Vols. of Botanical Books, and a number of Pamphlets and Magazines													£		15		16
	Wearing Apparel													£		3
	Jewellery Ornaments & Decorations
	pair gold sleeve Links															1
	Gold pin & Locket															1
3	Gold studs																	15
	Gold ring with							one diamond stone								5
	" " "							circle small diamonds								7
	minature of 21 decorations															5
	Ornament and 4 Stands fruit made of Jasper															20
	Royal Society's								Gold Medal							24
	Melbourne Exhibition								"							4		10
	French Agricultural								"							4		10
	do								Silver Medal									8
	Melbourne International								"									15
	German Leidertafel								"									8
	Tasmanian International								"		²							8
	Decoration for Science & Art³															5
8	Gilt medals															5
2	Bronze "																	5
														£		84		19
	Decorations
	*Star Seal and 2 Crowns of Barony⁴															30
	*Order of St Michael & St George															20
*19	Foreign Decorations															95
														£		145
	*All these I believe have to be returned to the different Governments who conferred the orders upon deceased.⁵
	Summary
	No 1 Office															17		17
	Hall															1		8
	Barons Study															7		16
	Bedroom															7		4
	Library															7		19
	No 2 Office															3		8
	No 3 Office															1
	Kitchen															1		7
	Bathroom																	5
	No 4 Office															1		17
	Yard																	19
	No 5 Office															2		7
	Coach House															8
																61		7
	Books									69		18	6
	"		at Museum							15		16			85		14		6
																147		1		6
	Wearing Apparel															3
	Jewellery Ornaments & Decorations															84		19
	Decorations															145
														£		380		0		6
	Say Three hundred and Eighty Pounds and Six Pence Stg

Wm Lamb Smith Auctioneer & Sworn Valuer

Cane Seat? Cushion Seat?

The MS is slightly ambiguous in its placement of the ditto marks for the group of gold and silver medals. The interpretation and layout made here is based on the sequence of medals: gold, followed by silver, then gilt and bronze.

i.e. Medal for Arts and Sciences, awarded by Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (see M to Friedrich Franz III, Grand-Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 12 July 1889).

At the time he was awarded his barony, M held hopes of getting married; see, for example, M to F. von Krauss, 8 October 1871. He therefore obtained, in addition to his Baron's crown, one for his prospective Baroness. Both crowns remain in the family.

M signed a covenant to return at least the KCMG and the Austrian Order of Franz Joseph; see M to R. Herbert, 29 September 1879; M to the Chancellery of the Franz Joseph Order, 20 October 1863. In his will, M directed that his executors return the decorations to the 'various Governments, from whom I received these decorations'. Not all the decorations were returned, if any were, to the originating governments. Some are now in institutional collections (e.g., KCMG regalia, State Library of NSW, DN/M 1284, 1285; Portuguese Order of Christ regalia, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, N15547; French Chevalier Legion of Honour, republican version State Library of NSW, DN/M 1472, imperial version Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (see Home (2017)). Others were retained within the family; see notes to M to the Executors of Mueller's Estate, 17 June 1884.

The valuation forms part of the bundle of papers related to the grant of probate of M's will dated 17 June 1884 (in this edition as 84-06-17). The papers include affidavits concerning James Rudall's renouncing the role of executor and the remaining executors (Alexander Büttner, Hermann Büttner and William Potter) swearing to the accuracy of the accounts; John George Luehmann and Charles French Snr each swearing to the authenticity of the will and that the alterations in it were made before they signed as witnesses; a summary of M's assets and liabilities at death (see A. Büttner et al. to Supreme Court of Victoria, 12 November 1896 (in this edition as M96-11-12)); a statement of the executors' account in 1900 (see A. Büttner et al. to Supreme Court, 28 June 1900 (in this edition as M1900-06-28)); and the formal grant of probate, dated 16 November 1896.

Please cite as “FVM-M96-10-22,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/M96-10-22

From William Lamb Smith to the Executors of Mueller's Estate 22 Oct 1896

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