8 
especially read and studied on the trip north- 
wards, but on our return a decided tendency 
was entertained for reading of a lighter des- 
cription of literature, more especially among 
the gentlemen of a less scientific turn of mind. 
The amusements were various, chess, back- 
gammon, whist, quoits (made of rope), &c. ; 
and a few “ chiels ” were now and then to be 
observed “ takin notes,” the substance of which 
many of us have, doubtless, had the pleasure of 
perusing. I might have said much more, but 
so many accounts have appeared in different 
colonial newspapers, that anything incomplete in 
this paper may be easily supplied from those 
sources. It is a matter of some interest to 
compare the various accounts, one in particular, 
which appeared in the Ballarat Star, of Janu- 
ary 1, 2, 3, and 4, is well and facetiously 
written. Being the only Queenslander on 
board, many enquiries were made by the vova- 
gers as to our mines, plantations, railways, ere., 
which I hope I was able to answer to their 
satisfaction. Among so many mathematical 
men it was necessary to be cautious, and I took 
good care nor to commit myself by any state- 
ments of which I was not certain, not being as 
well up in statistics as was desirable in such a 
case, and deeply regretting that I had not 
brought with me such works of reference as 
would have satisfied more fully their enquiries ; 
but as they were coming on to Brisbane, I told 
them they would have abundant opportunity of 
getting all the information they required on 
arrival. Speaking of gold mining, it was men- 
tioned that companies in Victoria found it pro- 
fitable to crush quartz yielding only three 
pennyweights to the ton. I remarked that any 
reef not giving an ounce, or more, would not be 
worked in our colony, and that there were 
plenty of such going a begging, and that if 
they wished to invest their capital a far better 
field was open to them here than in Victoria. 
Great prejudice was manifested by most against 
the narrow railway guage, which has proved 
such a success in this colony, one very scien- 
tific gentleman affirming that nothing under 
seven feet ought to be adopted. I hoped that 
he would have an opportunity afforded him of 
seeing our own, and endeavored to show that 
the vastly diminished expense of constructing 
such a line, especially in a hilly country where 
short curves were inevitable, was no light con- 
sideration in a young colony like ours. I be- 
lieve the trip they were enabled to make, 
through the liberality of the government, has 
gone far to dispel the prejudices entertained by 
our southern visitors. 
The sketches I made were few but interesting, 
and would be pronounced untruthful in some 
instances, as where the color of the sea is 
represented of a bright cerulian blue ; this, 
I affirm, is as I saw it, and it was truly beauti- 
ful. Some photographs of scenes I had no 
opportunity of depicting, I hope shortly to 
receive from Mr. Walter, of Melbourne, and 
Mr. Merlin, of Sydney ; when I hope by their 
aid to make some other interesting wa er color 
drawings and to lay them on this table on a 
future occasion. 
I here append a list of the various insects 
which I procured : — Lepidoptera : Acroe An- 
dromache, common on Fitzroy Island ; Danais 
Archippus, common at Cardwell ; Euploe 
Darchia, two specimens (Fitzroy) ; Junonia, 
Orythia, and Velleda, the first of these was plen- 
tiful at Fitzroy Island ; Papilio Sarpedon, was 
seen also but not captured ; Papilio Capaneas, 
two specimens ; Terias, the common species, 
was very plentiful, as were several small blue 
butterflies ; a fine species of Thecla, two 
specimens ; but most abundant was the beau- 
tiful Diadema Alimena, of which I obtained a 
good series of both sexes. Coleoptera were 
scarce, but I got a few which were new to me. 
I much regret losing a beautiful Cetonia 
which I caught in the net, hut on trying to 
release it from the folds it slipped through my 
fingers and escaped. It was of a brilliant 
metallic green, and I think would have proved 
to be Schizorhina Insularis, of which I possess 
a single specimen from near Port Denison. 
=seooC©C©oo=« 
Printed at the COURIER General Machine Printing Offioe, George -street, Brisbane. 
