PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 11 



was built, which stood for many years at the corner of 

 Albert and Macquarie Streets, near the Water Police Court, 

 on the spot where now stand the offices of the Department 

 of Public Health. 



After the gold rush, tin ore was discovered in New 

 England, and as buyers and sellers would only do business 

 on Mr. Watt's certificate, assaying for tin occupied a large 

 part of his time ; so that it became necessary to increase 

 the staff of analysts to cope with the influx of samples from 

 the Mines Department. Mr. Watt was assisted by Dr. 

 Max Hartung, Mr. Janitzky, Mr. Mingaye (now head of 

 the Mines Laboratory staff), Dr. Rennie (now Professor of 

 Chemistry in the University of Adelaide), Mr. Doherty, and 

 Mr. Leipner. Mr. Watt and Dr. Leibius were Examiners 

 of Patents for this State. In 1886, Mr. Watt retired and 

 was succeeded by Mr. Hamlet the present Government 

 Analyst. 



At this period mining and work of all kinds was prosper- 

 ous, and assaying and analytical work increased so rapidly 

 that the work of Examiner of Explosives as well as that 

 of Inspector of Kerosene were separated, and the Mer- 

 cantile Explosives Department established. Also a separate 

 laboratory was established for the assaying work of the 

 Mines Department and for mineral and rock analyses under 

 the control of Mr. Mingaye, and later, on the establishment 

 of the Department of Agriculture, a separate laboratory 

 was founded for agricultural chemical work. 



The work of the Government analyst now consists of the 

 analyses of the drinking water supplied to the city of 

 Sydney and all country towns in New South Wales; water 

 from tanks, wells, artesian bores and public watering 

 places ; waters collected by sanitary inspectors on the 

 outbreak of any epidemic or zymotic disease in which the 

 water is suspected ; waters used for steam purposes on 



