130 Revieivs — Geological Survey of Victoria. 



Selwyn, moreover, in 1863 published a geological sketch-map of the 

 whole colony, on the scale of eight miles to one inch, to which, as 

 well as to the other publications of the Geological Survey of Victoria, 

 attention was drawn in the Geological Magazine for May, 1866. 



Mr. Smyth thinks that the late Geological Survey was carried on 

 with less regard to the interests of the miner than it might have 

 been — the great gold-fields of Ballarat and Sandhurst were not 

 included in the area surveyed, and less than one-fourth of it em- 

 braces country which is interesting to the gold-miner. He proposes 

 " that, instead of mapping with costly traverses the lines of the 

 outcrop of non-productive formations (in the sense of not containing 

 veins of ore or deposits of economic value), there should be surveyed, 

 levelled, and mapped, all the more important gold-fields, carrying 

 from one area to the other such necessary connexions as might 

 serve the geologist and assist his investigations." 



Most persons acquainted with field-geology would prefer Mr. 

 Selwyn's plan of working steadily on, rather than that of working 

 out in detail more or less isolated areas. By the former plan beds 

 could be correlated, and more definite and satisfactory conclusions 

 would undoubtedly be arrived at as to the geological structure of the 

 country. There would be system and consistency, — and although 

 the results obtained would not perhaps have the immediate money- 

 value that would follow from special investigations and surveys of 

 the different gold-fields, yet, in the end, we cannot help thinking 

 that Mr. Selwyn's plan, if continued, would have the more lasting 

 value. 



Mr. Smyth remarks that, on his plan, " maintaining one party in 

 the field, and providing also for the regular publication of maps and 

 reports, the analyses of mineral specimens, and the examination of 

 fossils, would not cost more than £1,500 per annum," whereas to 

 continue the survey as it was formerly conducted, the expenses 

 would probably be not less than £8,000 for the same period. It is 

 true that he trusts to receive assistance from private individuals, by 

 which means the labours of the field-geologist, he thinks, would be 

 greatly reduced. But it is exceedingly questionable as to how much 

 reliance could be placed upon observations and information derived 

 from persons not connected with the Survey, and having, perhaps, but 

 little knowledge of geological surveying. Many individuals, too, 

 from personal interest in a district, would be apt to exaggerate the 

 importance of its mineral wealth. 



We should imagine that, although valuable information might be 

 elicited from private sources, the whole country must be gone over 

 by the officers of the Survey, and they would, in the localities to 

 which attention had been directed, be better prepared as to what to 

 expect, and would the more readily determine the mineral resources 

 of the area. 



We should, moreover, be inclined to doubt as to whether really 

 valuable assistance could be gained with the offer of such low salaries 

 as must necessai'ily follow from the very small amount for which 

 Mr. Smyth applies, in order to carry on the Geological Survey. 



