May 25, 1857.] COLONEL WAUGH— ROYAL AWARDS. 369 



The President, having read the preceding grounds of the award, 

 rose, and thus addressed the Eight Hon. Henry Labouchere : — 



*' Mr. Labouchere, — Having taken for many years the liveliest 

 interest in the exploration of North Australia, it has been peculiarly 

 gratifying to me to see this very difficult operation eftectually car- 

 ried out by a surveyor of ihe Australian colonies, so admirably 

 qualified to ensure success as Mr. A. C. Gregory. 



" On this memorable occasion I rejoice that you. Sir, her Majesty's 

 Secretary for the Colonies, under whom this great task has been 

 happity terminated, should have honoured us b}" attending here to 

 receive for the explorer of North Australia the Founder's Medal of 

 our Society, which I request you to transmit to Mr. Gregory with 

 the expression of our entire and hearty approbation of his conduct." 



Mr. Labouchere replied : — 



" Sir, — It affords me sincere pleasure on this occasion to receive, 

 on the part of Mr. Gregory, this well-merited mark of approbation 

 of the Royal Geographical Society. That gentleman had been 

 selected by the Government for the arduous and important task of 

 exploring the vast regions yet unknown to civilized man in North 

 Australia, and the manner in which he has performed it has amply 

 justified the selection. 



"Of Mr. Gregory's scientific qualifications it would ill befit me 

 to speak before such an audience, but I may advert to those moral 

 qualities which were not less necessary to an explorer of those vast 

 solitudes. Sir William Denison, in a despatch which rendered a 

 high testimony to the merits of Mr. Gregory, observed that it was 

 to his prudence and courage that the safe return of the entire party 

 was probably due. 



" You have called attention. Sir, to the description which Mr. 

 Gregory gives of the soil and climate on the banks of the Victoria 

 river ; and, indeed, it is of such a nature that it is no extravagant 

 supposition that some of us may live to hear of that hitherto un^- 

 known region becoming the home of a prosperous English settle- 

 ment. 



*' Such anticipations have always been a source of great gratifica- 

 tion to my mind ; for I believe that, among the many blessings and 

 advantages which have been permitted to this country, none ought 

 to be ranked higher than, that she should have been enabled to 

 scatter so widely over the globe the manners, the freedom, the 

 civilization, and the religion of Englishmen." 



Mr. Labouchere concluded by assuring the Meeting that he would 

 transmit the medal which he had received from the hands of their 

 distinguished President to Mr. Gregory, who, he was sure, would 

 highly value such an honour. 



The President then continued : — 



The Council has adjudicated the Victoria or Patron's Gold Medal 



