dit, aud in order that an abstract may be published in 

 the " Government Gazette." 



Given at Government House, this 29th day of 

 June, 1857. 



By command of His Excellency the Governor, 

 Rawson W. Rawson, 

 Colonial Secretary. 



Australian Museum, Sydney, 

 Sept. 12th 1877. 

 E. DuPONT, Esqi'e, 



Vice-Secretary of the Society of Arts and Sciences, 

 Mauritius. 

 Sir, 



I have thf? honor to acknowledge the receipt of 

 your letter of the 21st June last. It will afford me 

 much pleasure to give you such information as I may 

 possess on the subject in question, since taking office 

 in this department in 1874, I have been engaged on 

 this very subject : a long and tedious one, I can assure 

 you, as nothing of the kind had been attempted before 

 I came and this accumulation of Collections of Books 

 and specimens for even 20 years, cannot be got 

 through in one or two years. It is far easier to make 

 a new Museum than greet an old one in order. I shall 

 forward you my remarks on the different branches 

 under my charge, with as little delay as possible and 



