Proceedhujs of the Roi/dl Society of Victoria. 2J3 



Yarra was made the land had become covered with buildings. 

 He lioped an etfort would be made to collect these records. The 

 newspapers published at the time were Strode's and Fawkner's. 

 It was very important indeed that some Institution like the 

 Royal Society should try to collect these things, and to bring 

 under the notice of the Government the importance of doing 

 something in this direction. Some time ago it had been found 

 that the original plans and maps at the Crown Lands Department 

 were getting torn and defaced, and a Committee had been 

 appointed to consider the best way of keeping tliem. Not only 

 should the original plans be preserved, but any documents 

 relating to the history of the Colony. 



Di\ Neild quite agreed with Mr. White as to the desirability 

 of taking care of such records. 



The President said he felt sure that any information that was 

 obtainable should be obtained and placed on record without any 

 delay. He would be very glad if someone would endeavour to 

 obtain such particulars, as they would form a very useful 

 addendum to his paper. He thought the flood of 1878 was very 

 much below the present one. He had to confess he had not 

 taken much trouble in the way of investigating the matter ; but 

 Mr. Davidson had told him that he had arranged the water pipes 

 crossing the river at the Kew Asylum, and put them five feet 

 above the level of the water in 187S, and during the recent flood 

 these had been live feet under the water. The flood of 1878, 

 therefore, did not appear to possess any particular interest. 

 Thanks to the Public Works Department, he had been able to 

 include in his paper the most minute information as to the 

 present flood all the way down to the Dight's Falls. If that 

 information could be obtained with regard to previous floods it 

 would be most interesting. The papers during the year 1864 

 were rather concerned with criticising certain schemes for reducing 

 the damage done by the flood, and did not trouble to include 

 actual figures as to the height of the flood itself. The Public Works 

 Department had furnished him with what purported to show tlie 

 height of the flood of 1863 up as far as the railway bridge at 

 South Yarra, but beyond that he could obtain no information. 

 The flood level was shown by the wharves down at Prince's 

 Bridge, and up to Brander's Ferry. Going towards the Cremorne 

 Railway Bridge there was not more than about three inches 

 between the floods. If the figures given meant the height of the 

 water above the bridge, then the 1863 flood was three or four 

 inches below the recent one. The Public Works Department 

 thought that the two floods were about identical. Mr. Gordon 

 had prepared a plan, now in the possession of the engineers of tlie 

 Department, according to which the flood of 1863 was lower than 



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