PROCEEDINGS, NOVEMBER. XXXvii 



had six months' provisions, 10 head of cattle, and about 50 sheep. This 

 was the first settlement in Tasmania. Risdon was abandoned in the 

 following year when Licutenant-Oovernor David Collins founded 

 Hobart. 



His Excellency said he was only expressing the feelings of every one 

 present at the satisfactory account which Mr. Walker had given of the 

 early history of the colony. He invited any person present to speak 

 upon it. 



Tlie Hon, P. O. Fysh said he confessed that he had been at a 

 loss what to do with the historical papers which had been left as a 

 legacy by his predecessors in office, and he had cast about him to see 

 how that could best be dealt with. There was a mass of manuscripts 

 comprising GOO pages, and he thought that in Mr. Walker there was a 

 friend to whom he could refer them. That gentleman had made the 

 study of Tasmanian history a specialty, and for that reason he was 

 pleased to hand them over to him. The documents came down to him 

 early in the present year and when looking over them with Mr. Walker, 

 they noticed a very curious coincidence that whilst p]ngland at the end 

 of last century was engaged in a difficulty with the French in regard to 

 the settlements in Tasmania, at the time the papers reached them there 

 were also difficulties with the French in regard to the New Hebrides. 

 The papers dealt with brought them down to 1S05, but there 

 were some 700 pages more whi:;h brought them down to 1S07, and 

 unless he could get Mr. Walker to undertake to deal with them he did 

 not know how the historical factswould obtain publicity. Mr. Bonwick 

 was still going on searching the archives of the War Office in Paris, and 

 various places in England, and he propose.! to bring this batch down to 

 1824, the time of (governor Sorell. It could not, however, be expected 

 that Parliament would undertake tiie publication of the whole of the 

 facts which were thus obtained, and he was in hopes that after the 

 reading of Mr. Walker's paper, the Society would assist the Govern- 

 ment by appointing a committee which would advise Mr. Bonwick as to 

 the matters which should have special attention. He had had very 

 much pleasure in listening to the paper read by Mr. Walker, and trusted 

 that he would have his help in future. 



Bishop Sandfoiu) said with regard to Antarctic exploration, he 

 thought that if for meteorological purposes only they were bound to 

 explore the lands near the South Pole. He thought they might very 

 largely increase the knowledge of the earth by further Antarctic ex- 

 plorations. 



Mr. J. B. Walker briefly acknowledged the kind terms in which 

 His Excellency and other Fellows had spoken of the paper. With 

 respect to the State documents copied by Mr. Bonwick, he suggested 

 that the Government or the Royal Society should have them abstracted 

 or calendared for public information. He wished also to take the 

 opportunity of calling the Premier's attention to the fact that no official 

 papers before 1S'21 were to be found in the Chief Secretary's office. On 

 enquiring for these earlier records of the colony, he had been informed 

 that they were supposed to be lying hidden away in the cellars of the 

 Houses of Parliament. He trusted that the Premier would take steps 

 to rescue from destruction by damp and neglect papers of so much 

 value for the future historian of Tasmania. 



THE TASMANIAX UNIO. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston, F. L.S., said as the hour was late, he would 

 not read the paper lie had prepared on " Observations on the varia- 

 bility of the Tasmanian Unio," but would simply give an abstract of it. 

 He gave a description of the variability of the ireshwater Unio which 

 inhabited and was restricted to the northern rivers of the colony, and 



