represents the King’s success in lion hunting. It has been presented by
the Very Rev. the Dean of Perth and Mrs. Latham. The other slab shows the
capitulation of a city and the King receiving prisoners and spoil. These
will be on view early in January. A cast of the bust of the late Sir
Roderick Murchison, the Director-General of the Geological Survey of Great
Britain, has been received from Messrs. Brucciani and Co. by kind
permission of the Geological Society of London, who own the original. Sir
Roderick was born in 1792, entered the Army in 1807, and served through
the Peninsular War with distinction. In 1815 he retired from the Army.
Being a man of indefatigable energy, he was not content with the ordinary
occupation and amusements of a wealthy country gentleman, but devoted his
time to the study of geology. He travelled extensively on the Continent of
Europe, spending a great deal of time in Russia, exploring the Ural
Mountains, in 1841, and although he never visited Australia he pointed out
in his presidential address to the Royal Geographical Society in May,
1844, the similarity of the rocks forming the great chain running down the
eastern side of Australia to those in the Ural Mountains, and remarked
that the Australian chain so far differed from the Ural in having as yet
offered no trace of gold or auriferous veins. His knowledge of Australia
at that time was confined to the account given by Strzelecki and the
inspection of the specimens he had sent over. He was unaware at the moment
and did not know until years afterwards that Strzelecki had actually
discovered gold but at the request of the Governor of New South Wales had
refrained from publishing it. He died at the ripe age of 80 years, in
1871. Lastly, there is a cast from the sculpture of Sir Edgar Boehm. R.A.,
of the famous horse St. Simon, the property of the Duke of Portland. This
horse is said to have been one of the most perfect ever foaled, and
although not a winner of any great race he was the sire of many winners,
and so will prove an attractive exhibit to many Australians. In the Water
Colour Gallery will be found a sketch of our fertile South West country,
entitled “Evening,” Dinninup, by Mr. A. G. Plate, a very clever rendering
of the bush colouring at sunset.