president's address. 581 



10 feet above the surface. la this instance and at Danlop the 

 water-bearing strata belong to^the Cretaceous formation; and the 

 Pleistocene " Mud Springs," in which the Killarah bores were 

 put down, are doubtless natural artesian springs issuing from 

 fissures in the underlying Cretaceous formation. This water- 

 bearing formation, as shown on the Geological map of N. S. 

 Wales, occupies an area of about 32,000 square miles; and as 

 ii forms excellent pasturage country, which is naturally deficient 

 in permanent surface water, the value of the available under- 

 ground supply cannot be overestimated. 



I have given you only a brief account of the economic mineral 

 resources of New South Wales. I would like to have also made 

 reference to those of the other Australian colonies, for they are all 

 naturally united to us, though not at present politically so ; but 

 further elaboration of the subject would exceed the bounds of 

 a short address. What I have said, however, is I think sufficient 

 to show that in coal, gold, tin and copper, we have already 

 inexhaustible sources of wealth and industry ; and that in 

 some of the other minerals mentioned, especially iron ores, 

 we possess undoubted abundance of material for future develop- 

 ment ; while the extent and value of the others have not yet been 

 proved. And more than this, there are extensive sources of 

 underground water supply which when made available will 

 immensely increase the value of a large extent of the more purely 

 pastoral portion of the territory. With evidence of such material 

 wealth who can say to what degree of national prosperity this 

 country may not attain. Perceiving this, what a field fur future 

 usefulness lies open for investigation by not only one, but 

 many scientific Societies. And herein lies our own responsibility, 

 for our Society, as a Society devoted to Natural Science investi- 

 gation, should have great influence in directing the public mind, 

 particularly in reference to scientific discoveries. I am aware that 

 such work involves the exercise of much individual self-denial 

 and laborious research ; indeed some of the works recorded in the 

 proceedings of the Society exemplify this. But the natural laws 

 of development show that in the survival of the fittest in the 



