APPENDIX II. 



A Public Meeting was held at the Mechanics' Institute, 

 Collins-street, Melbourne, on January 23rd, 1860, for the 

 purpose of receiving the report of the Exploration Fund 

 Committee, the Hon. John Hodgson, M.L.C., in the chair. 



REPORT. 



Your committee has much pleasure in meeting the subscri- 

 bers to the Exploration Fund on the present occasion, and in 

 offering its hearty congratulations upon the successful issue 

 of the important undertaking, for the accomplishment of 

 which it was appointed, and your committee has now the 

 honor to submit the following report. 



It will be remembered that a public meeting was held in 

 this place on the 1st September, 1858, at which his Honor 

 the Chief Justice Sir William Foster Stawell presided. It 

 was then announced that the munificent gift of ^€1000 was 

 offered by an unknown friend of Australian exploration, on 

 the condition that j62000 should be raised by private sub- 

 scription within twelve months, for the same object. At that 

 meeting your committee was appointed for the purpose of 

 carrying out the expressed wishes of the unknown donor, and 

 of securing his generous offer. 



On its appointment your committee thought it advisable 

 to invite t\e co-operation of the Exploration Committee of 

 the Philosophical Institute, now the Royal Society, of Vic- 

 toria, which was cordially acceded to ; and during the whole 

 year both committees have zealously combined all their 

 efforts to ensure the success of the proposed object. 



The efforts of your committee in raising subscriptions were, 

 in the first instance, chiefly confined to Melbourne. At the 

 same time a printed circular was forwarded to all the princi- 

 pal towns and to many of the leading gentlemen and magis- 



