ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. Iv 



being thus clearly ascertained, Sir R. Murchison concluded that de- 

 trital accumulations having the same characters, and derived from 

 similar ancient rock masses, in any other part of the world, might 

 also be expected to be auriferous in a greater or less degree. 



Just before his examination of the Ural chain, he had had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining some specimens of the rock masses brought by 

 Count Strzelecki from the eastern part of Austraha, and was thus 

 able to recognize the identity of character presented by these rocks 

 and those of the Ural. Hence he was led to the conclusion that the 

 local detritus of what he termed the Cordilleras of Australia, ranging 

 generally in a north and south direction, would be found to contain 

 gold, as it was found in the Ural chain and the Cordilleras of America. 

 In 1846 he expressed this opinion publicly to the geologists and miners 

 of Cornwall, recommending such miners as might be in want of em- 

 ployment to emigrate to Australia, where, he assured them, they might 

 expect to be well remunerated for their labour in a diligent search for 

 gold. These remarks were subsequently embodied in a memoir, and 

 published in the Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Corn- 

 wall. Not long afterwards, his discourse in Cornwall, printed at the 

 time in the local journals, appeared in the Sydney papers. 



It appears, then, from the statements contained in the two papers 

 before us, that both Sir R. Murchison and Mr. Clarke had been 

 asserting the probability that Australia would be found to be an 

 auriferous region, for some years previous to 1847. Up to that pe- 

 riod their respective speculations, however, had been independent of 

 each other, and evidently rested on totally different foundations. Sir 

 Roderick's rested on an induction from a careful observation and ex- 

 tensive knowledge of the geological characters of known auriferous 

 districts, applied to Australia, without any knowledge, up to the date 

 just mentioned, of the actual discovery of gold in that country ; for 

 he does not appear to have known till a later period that Strzelecki 

 had observed indications of gold near Bathurst several years before. 

 On the other hand, Mr. Clarke's speculations were inferences from 

 the facts that minute quantities of gold had been actually discovered 

 in different parts of the country, but were, up to the above date, un- 

 supported by that more accurate knowledge of the geological phse- 

 nomena of other auriferous districts, on which Sir R. Murchison had 

 entirely founded his speculations. In the one case we have the gene- 

 ralization of the geologist, in the other the simple inference of the 

 observer. 



Subsequently, in 1847, Mr. Clarke's views became strengthened by 

 his obtaining some knowledge, as already stated, of the auriferous 

 deposits of the Ural Mountains, and the views of the authors of the 

 * Geology of Russia' on the subject ; and in 1848 Sir R. Murchison's 

 views were corroborated by his receiving a piece of gold which had 

 been found in Australia by persons who were desirous of prosecuting 

 further researches. His convictions on the subject then became so 

 strong, that he thought proper to write to Lord Grey, as Colonial 

 Secretary, stating to him that gold was likely to be found in Australia 

 to an extent which might render it of immense importance to the in- 



