energies were always directed towards the 

 advancement of the interests of Tasmania 

 particularly, and also of Australia gene- 

 rally. ^Ir. James Bonwick still lives in 

 London, and is well and kindly remeanber- 

 ed by many here who have sat under him 

 in pEist days as scholars, and whose works 

 on Tasiiianian historj', relating particu- 

 larly to the extinct native races, are 

 vahiable text books on that subject. Of 

 the merits of Mr. James Backhouse Wal- 

 ker, so lately taken from amongst u.s, it is 

 hardly necessary for me to remind j'ou. 

 I can safely and very feelingly say, 

 that "he being dead yet speaketh." Not 

 only are his valuable historical researches 

 regarded as standards of our past, but the 

 effects of his great activity in the cause of 

 the higher education of this State bear 

 testimony to-day to his ability and worth, 

 with a freshness and power which appeals 

 to lis all. 



Under Mount Oakley's eastern end is a 

 long lake, about Ih mile long, and rather 

 narrow, called Lake Ayr, after, I pre- 

 eum'e, Mr. Bobbie Burns's "toon o' Ayr."' 

 From this lake, and also from a small 

 though voliiminous stream, "Bonwick's 

 Rivulet." junctioning with the lake out- 

 fall ,the Forth River receives its primary 

 impetus. The whoile panorama vras 

 grand and fascinating, althoiigh the wind 

 was bitterly cold, and from behind the 

 kindly shelter of a great rock we drank it 

 all in. Coming down from the higher Jevels 

 of Bonw'ick, and turning towards its west- 

 ern trend, we visited one of the Peiion 

 coal tujiiiels. The work done here repre- 

 sented a tunnel of over half a chain long, 

 with heaps of coal lying at its entrance on 

 either side Two seams, have been 

 discovered, one 17in. in thickness, the 

 other 26iu. Consideiable exploratory 

 work has been done towards testing these 

 deposits, three tunnels in all having been 

 put in, and much trenching done. The 

 results seem as yet to be only moderately 

 valuable, analysis showing, according to 

 the Assistant Government Geologist, a Iotp 

 quality of coal, wit!i a value dependent on 

 the success of the Barn Bluff mining field. 

 The Lauuceston people seem to have a 

 much better opinion of the coal, their 

 analysis proving, they say, one sample to 

 be a splendid steaming coal, and another 

 sample was admirable for coking pur- 

 poses. It is also alleged that the Pelion 

 Copper Company used it at their forge, 

 and considered it to be the best quality of 

 coal in the colony. However, I think there 

 can he no question as to the value of these 

 great coal deposits, if the Barn Bluff coun- 

 try "pans out" well, timber all around be- 

 ing exceedingly scarce. Coming down to- 

 wards the hut, and the weather still keep- 

 ing fine, we crossed over the plain. 



northerly, towards Mount Oakley, 

 where, on the high banks of the 

 yet youthful Forth River, we come upon 

 the Pelion Consolidated Copper Com- 

 pany's mineral show. There are four lodes 

 uncovered on the property, and partly 

 prospected. Those running from the north 

 and south assay well for silver, and those 

 east and west for gold, and all down the 

 creek mineral indications are to be found 

 in the country rock, a quartzite schist. 



The compan-p ceased work, I am told, 

 after spending something approaching 

 ^l,200_on the property, on account of the 

 utter isolation of its position preclud^ing 

 all possibility of getting their ore out. 

 There are several tons of really good ore, 

 bagged and at grass, awaiting means of 

 transport. I heard that work was to be 

 resumed as soon as the development of the 

 field around is likely to secure a means of 

 communicaion w'th outside, and then 

 their fine property must become of great 

 value. 



Towards evening the weather became 

 again stormy and wet, and next morning 

 (Sunday, April 7) it was as bad as ever, 

 and we had to remain in the hut all day, 

 Monday, 8th inst., broke fine with 

 frost, so we made a start for Barn Bluff' 

 Camp, getting away from Pelion soon after 

 7 o'clock. From the "branch off" to the 

 Pelion Huts, the track runs through a 

 belt of forest ,clothiug the southern bend 

 of the Forth Gorge, and then sw-eeps round 

 in a great bend, under the bases of Mounts 

 Walker Ossa, and West Peliou, which 

 tower up very grandly all round, and ris- 

 ing along the eastern side of West Pelion 

 until the Forth Gorge is cleared, we turn 

 sharply round north-westerly, and have 

 a clear run in that fairection for eight 

 miles or so, over button-rush plains and 

 timber patches. Just as the track takes 

 its north-westrly turn, it overlooks the 

 Forth River Gorge, and it presents to us 

 a scene of the wildest grandeur. Photo- 

 graphy cannot convey anything like a cor- 

 correct representation o fthe scene which 

 I have not seen surpassed, in all my bush 

 wanderings, for weird sublimity. Here 

 it is that the whole of the drain- 

 age from the great Pelion Group, Lake 

 Ayr, and the Oakley Range, form into one 

 united stream, and pass on as the Forth 

 River. 



From here we can see the great forma- 

 tion of the Barn Bluff mine, the big knob, 

 standing up finely on the west side of the 

 gorge, not more than three or four miles 

 distant as the crow flies, yet our winding? 

 make the distance eight miles, or more, 

 before the camp is reached. The day 

 turned out exceptionally fine, and we had 

 ample opportunity to see the fine moun- 

 tain scenery around, as we progressed. The 

 Pelion Group, which we were leaving. 



