Report on the Exhibition of Gems. 75 



of the world — are evidence of his intelligence and persevering 

 assiduity during half a life time. 



I have heard that his collection has been offered to the 

 Government at some price vastly beneath its real value — ^for 

 it is almost impossible to fix a price on a collection which 

 has been prosecuted under favourable circumstances during 

 very many years. And I take this opportunity of using 

 any weight which can be conceived to attach to my opinion, 

 to say that if the mining department possessed such a col- 

 lection, it would be of infinite value in the development of 

 our gem treasures — to have them for the purpose of sending 

 specimens, or duplicates, to the athenseums and mechanics' 

 institutes, or other similar pubhc bodies, to serve as standards 

 of comparison with specimens found on the spot. To the 

 man of science such a collection may be of comparatively 

 little use, for he can take his own ways of determining any 

 given gem or mineral ; but the miner, the ' digger ' — the 

 instrument which the colony has now to use for the collec- 

 tion of these valuable matters — is not a man of science ; but 

 for the present, a man who can use his senses, and who, 

 when he has seen a thing, can suppose that another which 

 falls under his observation is identical, or similar in appear- 

 ance ; pick it up and reserve it for farther inquiry. Good 

 though it may be in its own way, it is not enough to tell a 

 miner, that if he has found something that he knows nothing 

 of, he can have it examined by sending it to Melbourne. 

 The ' digger' is not generally a man who will take that trouble ; 

 but if he can get at a specimen near at hand, he will compare 

 his own discovery with it in a leisure hour at night, and 

 then, if he has a doubt remaining, send it for an ultimate 

 examination and report. 



It has probably already occurred to you that I have more 

 than once mentioned in this report gems that were known 

 to be Colonial, which I had procured and brought before the 

 society on former occasions, but which were not in our exhi- 

 bition. I allude to them for the purpose of making this 

 report, and the catalogues appended, somewhat interesting 

 to persons outside our society, into whose hands this paper 

 may happen to fall. And I must now claim your patience 

 for a few moments, while I read to you some matters, which 

 I may call " results " of the exhibition, becaAise they confirm 

 some portions of our Victorian discoveries, and because they 

 add materially to our lists of colonial gem-stones. And when 

 I state that it is to the kindness of the Rev. W. B. Clarke, 



