for the year 1870. xxv 



townships and surveys in their neighbourhood, constitute 

 the most important and valuable. These form stock-in- 

 trade for the further survey and settlement of the colony, 

 and the everlasting references for the adjustment of disputes 

 with reference to boundaries and areas of land property. 

 The survey has been fast approaching its completion, but 

 you will regret to learn that retrenchments in the public 

 expenditure have fallen so heavily on this branch of the 

 service as to very seriously cripple its progress. 



The most important and interesting operation of late has 

 been the determination of the termini of the boundary 

 between New South Wales and Victoria, with the view of 

 marking it on the ground. The act of Parliament by which 

 Victoria became a separate colony defines her boundaries in 

 certain terms — that between South Australia and Victoria 

 is named the " ]4Jst meridian of longitude ; " that separat- 

 ing us from New South Wales, " The River Murray, from 

 the intersection of the 141st meridian to the branch or 

 source nearest to Cape Howe, and thence by a line bearing 

 S.E. to Cape Howe. The boundary between South 

 Australia and Victoria was marked in 1847, as nearly coin- 

 ciding with the 141st meridian as was then known from the 

 mouth of the Glenelg to the Murray. 



The Murray gives us all our northern boundary, but no 

 line from the eastern sources of the Murray to Cape Howe 

 has ever been marked, and consequently over 100 miles of 

 frontier is in the position of " No Man's Land," with its 

 uncertain jurisdiction and unpaid rents. The definition of 

 this boundary at the joint expense of the two colonies, by 

 the geodetic surveyors of Victoria, was some time since 

 agreed upon, and three survey parties have been actively 

 engaged for many months on the work necessary to accom- 

 plish it. The particular source of the Murray to form 

 the N.W. terminus, as well as the particular point 



