Report of Society's Meetings. 167 



best of our things that are suitable, as you know, 1 am sending off to 

 the Imperial Institute. Some other things, chiefly the Natural History 

 and Ethnology specimens, are being returned to the Museum. Some 

 specimens, chiefly woods, shingles, gums, birds, clays, fibres, bush- 

 ropes and cassava I am selling to the North-western University, 

 the Pennsylvania University, and the Milwaukie Museum ; and the 

 Columbia Museum has been offered a fairly good set which they pro- 

 mise to buy. The large logs of timber have been a load on my hands. 

 They are so large, heavy and unwieldy that very few people are able to 

 handle them, and the only decent offer for them has been one of §300 

 from a large billiard-cue and table maker. I have got them to go as 

 high as $350 but that is the most I can get. I was afraid I should have 

 to abandon them or present them to some of the institutions. Still the 

 $350 will not be so bad, the more, especially that the firm will report 

 on the quality and fitness of the Woods. One thing about them that 

 has greatly decreased their value is the great splitting that has taken 

 place in so many of the logs. In this sort of exhibit as in many others, 

 the Fair has taught one a great deal which will be of much use to the 

 Colony for any such undertaking in the future, and I mean to make a 

 detailed report when I return which will help all such of our shows in 

 the future. 



The sugars will fetch much less than their invoiced value, since there 

 seems to be no demand for the dark sugars, of which the bags chiefly 

 consist. The jellies and preserves also will fetch very little, sugar 

 being so cheap here and fruit so plentiful. The walking sticks also, 

 except the letter- wood ones, and a few of the others, meet with no sale, 

 the demand being for highly ornamental and well dressed kinds. The 

 rums and bitters I have had to send back. I could only distribute or 

 sell them by paying the duty, which came to considerably more than I 

 could get tor them. The bottles alone are worth the sending back, so 

 I would not abandon the spirit to the Government as I might have done. 

 The gold nuggets of Mr. Carreiro got an award as you will see by the 

 list, but I could only get them sold by having them refined down, and 

 getting the value of the gold, and as this might have fallen a good 

 way below the value put on them, 1 thought it better to send them 

 back, and Mr. Carreiro can do as he likes with them. Seven sample 

 nuggets were taken out for testing and for examination, but as they 

 contained a good deal of quartz, I imagine they will make very little 

 difference in the weight. The box has been sent, sealed, to the Geo. 



