7 
department, which is now transferred from my temporary care to a permanent 
and special administration, in w'hose labors I shall continue to share with 
deep interest. But it may not be inappropriate to point to the increase and 
augmented value of some of the moi’e useful animals whilst entrusted to my 
supervi.sion. Notwithstanding some occasional losses, chiefly in consequence 
of the unsuitability and narrow boundaries of the original site, chosen 
previous to my administration as pasture ground for the flocks, and in 
consequence of inadequate means for the accommodation of some of the 
animals, I feel confident that a computation of the value of all the animals 
transferred, liberated, distributed and still remaining, will not be dispropor- 
tionate to the sums invested in obtaining and supporting tliem. Tlie means 
in future at my disposal will restrict the zoological collection in the Botanic 
Garden to singing birds, waterfowl, and a few herbivarous quadrupeds, 
especially of the tlcer tribe. 
During the very few years of my directorship of this establishment 
the principal buildings have been erected, necessary for the conservation of 
tropical jjlants, for the nurseries, for the office work, for dwellings, for the 
safe keeping of stores, for stabling, also the Yarra foot-bridge has been built, 
permanent diains and iron fences have been established, and one part of the 
Botanical Museum has been completed ; and it will, therefore, not be requisite 
to incur immediately any great additional expense for building puiq>oses. 
But for the future extension of the Museum Building and its contents 
I would beg to solicit the favorable consideiation of the Government and 
Legi.slature. The only wing of the contemplated building hitherto finished 
is barely sufficient to accommodate the herbaria ; but no room is available 
for the display of an extensive collection of timber, of carpological specimens, 
and of vegetable products useful in medicine, art, and manutactures. How 
important, for the development of these resources of our country, it would be 
to afford facilities for inspection of the vegetable raw products of the colony 
under scientific arrangement, became manifest in the Exhibition held in 
Melbourne, preliminaiy to the transmission of the articles from hence to the 
forthcoming International Exliibition in London. Many vegetable products, 
of the existence of which we were long since awai'e, were then for the first 
time brought generally under the inspection of the colonists. On that 
occasion also, for the first time, the quantitive yield of oil of the Eucalypti 
became demonstrated through the labors of Mr. Jos. Bosisto, of Biclunond, 
and Mr. W. Johnson, of St. Kilda, who kindly undertook the distillation of 
these oils from the material secured through the office of the Botanic Garden. 
On the vegetable products, displayed in the Melbourne Exhibition, the 
jurors, Messrs. Coates, Osborne, and Ashley, offered in a lucid report exten- 
sive and important observations, not only in reference to the luminosity and 
solvent powers of the oils above referred to, but also on the series of timber 
specimens, fibres, resins, gums, barks, and other vegetable products or 
extracts, submitted to those gentlemen for careful investigation. It is not 
too much to anticipate that these exertions will be followed by many practical 
results and the promotion of new branches of industry. For the jnu-pose 
of conveying abroad a correct impres.sion of the horticultural resoui’ces of our 
adopted country, a series of gypsum casts of fruits and culinary vegetables 
were prepared for the Exhibition through the medium of the botanical 
department. 
The Museum has been considerably enriched during the year by 
manifold collections of dried plants, which under ordinary care and attention 
may remain available for the use of many future generations. Amongst the 
contributions received since the beginning of last year, the following deserve 
to be specially mentioned : — 
Plants gathered on the northern boundary line of the Chinese empire, 
in Brazil, and in European Russia, received fi"om Dr. Regel, 
director of the Botanic Garden of Petersburg. 
