126 FOUNDATION AND EARLY WORK 



R.S. TAS. 



"fountain-head of v/liat promises, ere long, to swell into a 

 ''mighty stream of civilisation, they have been anxious to 

 "impress upon that stream, while it is yet susceptible of 

 "it, a salutary direction towards liberal and scientific pur- 

 "suits. And the hope which especially animates them is, 

 "that their exertions, humble and feeble as they are, may 

 "be the means of rousing abler minds to put forth their 

 "energies in the same noble cause. 



"They consider themselves only in the light of pioneers — 

 "humbly leading the way to the accomplishment of a most 

 "worthy and desirable end ; and, while they are conscious 

 "of the slenderness of their resources for such an important 

 "object, they are not without hopes that the excellence 

 "of their design will in some measure atone for the imper- 

 "fection and faultiness of its execution. 



"The leading and characteristic object of this Journal 

 "is to furnish original papers upon the Natural History 

 "and Physics of Tasmania- It is intended in the first in- 

 "stance to embrace more particularly the departments of 

 "Zoology, Botany, Geology, and Meteorology. An im- 

 "portant part of the plan at present contemplated, and of 

 "which this first number may be considered as affording 

 "an average specimen, is to publish in consecutive articles 

 "all the species of indigenous plants and animals which 

 "are yet known, as well as such as may from time to time 

 "be discovered ; accompanying the scientific description of 

 "each with such details of its economy, habits, geogTaphical 

 "distribution, and other particulars, which can only be 

 "satisfactorily ascertained and described by those who have 

 "had opportunities of examining the individual in its liv- 

 **ing and natural state. It is also intended to give occa- 

 ssional papers upon peculiarities in the structure and phy- 

 "siology of the many curious plants and animals which are 

 "natives of this country, some of the most interesting of 

 "which are still desiderata among scientific men in Europe. 



"Under the head of Geology, it is proposed to bring to- 

 *'gether, as far as our means of information may extend, 

 "such facts as may contribute towards a systematic know- 

 "ledge of the mineralogical characters, the relative posi- 

 "tion, and fossil contents of the various rocks of this 

 "Island ; a most interesting field of research, which is as 

 "yet unexplored. 



"In Meteorology it is proposed to give the dailv instru- 

 "mental observations made at Port Arthur, tos^ether with 

 "such additional facts and observations as mav be obtained 

 "from other parts of the country, in elucidation of the 

 "laws and character of our climate. 



