for the year 1864. Ixxxvii 



examination and mapping, by far the larger portion of the 

 colony must long remain uncompleted for want of topo- 

 graphical surveys. 



The maps which are being executed by the Geodetic 

 Survey, under the able supervision of the Honorary 

 Secretary of our Society, Mr. Ellery, though on a rather 

 small scale, will greatly facilitate the labours of the geologist, 

 and in proportion to the physical and topographical details 

 furnished in the surveys executed for the Government, will 

 be the minuteness of the geological features and information 

 which the staff of the Geological Survey will be enabled to 

 supply, and I may add the rapidity with which the work 

 can be executed. 



The publication of the general Geological Sk etch-Map of 

 Victoria, which Mr. Selwyn prepared at the request of the 

 Royal Commission of Goldfields Inquiry, is so far ad- 

 vanced that it will probably be ready for issue during next 

 month, and will no doubt prove a most interesting and 

 useful index. 



Mr. Selwyn, as Director of the Geological Survey, and 

 myself, as Director of the National Museum, have on several 

 occasions addressed joint representations to the Colonial 

 Government, pointing out that it is impossible to determine 

 many of the simple minerals and rock masses, occurring in 

 the course of the Geological Survey, without a proper 

 analysing room, in which all doubtful substances might be 

 tested, before entering their names on the maps or depositing 

 them in the cases of the National Museum. It was pointed 

 out that the same provision was necessary for the determi- 

 nation of the various foreign rocks and minerals in the 

 general Geological and Mineralogical collections of the Na- 

 tional Museum, and we suggested that one such room would 

 suffice for both departments, and would be most con- 

 veniently and economically placed at the Museum. Our 



