Beport on the Exhibition of Oems. 65 



It affords me satisfaction to be able to state that the 

 numerous and various exhibits were brought together into 

 this hall, and returned to their respective owners, without 

 loss or injury of any kind, and that the whole amount of 

 injury done to any kind of property has not gone beyond the 

 breakage of one pane of glass, and a single glass vial not 

 thicker than a goose-quill. I mention this for the informa- 

 tion and encouragement of exhibitors, should we ever need 

 to invite their co-operation again in a similar project. 



From all that I have been able to gather from the various 

 sources through which public opinion is made known, I have 

 reason to think that those who did the exhibition the honour 

 of a visit went away not disappointed, but rather pleased, 

 whether they were scientific mineralogists or amateurs. 



In proposing and in carrying out, under your auspices, 

 this exhibition, I had in view mainly three objects : 



1. To bring together from the various gold and gem- 

 producing districts of Victoria, not merely doubtful specimens, 

 but the actual collections of scientific mineralogists and 

 collectors, and the individual discoveries of parties of men 

 employed in mining. 



2. To afibrd a favourable opportunity to persons interested 

 in the development of this neglected source of our mineral 

 wealth, of seeing, in one general view, what Victoria is pro- 

 ducing, in what I may call a desultory way, and by 

 accident ; and how far these productions will bear comparison 

 with matters of a Kke natm-e found in other regions of the 

 world ; and also to enable myself to draw up complete 

 catalogues of these various treasures, with a view to the 

 difiusing of more general knowledge of precious stones among 

 the mining population, and thereby inducing them to pay 

 attention to them, and to institute a more uniform and 

 systematic search for them. 



3. To make more universally known the power and 

 ability existing among us to elaborate and finish, in aU 

 their several departments of art, out of the precious metals 

 with which our favoured country abomids, those works of 

 skill and taste which have been hitherto generally considered 

 the peculiar productions of the old world. 



To aid in furthering these objects, fine specimens, both 

 native and foreign, were assembled in this hall, and it is to 

 be hoped not altogether without leaving behind a favourable 

 impression of our own resources. 



This Report, then, is intended to further these objects in 



F 



