auriferous deposits existing on this, the western side of the continent of
Australia, may prove geologically correct, and which theories, I believe,
are credited to one of our early explorers, Sir Roderick Murchison, would
it not be most interesting to the majority of your readers if you could
furnish them with the actual authenticated words made use of by Sir
Roderick in allusion to this subject, and also any other brief records
connected with the exploration trip—which so impressed him with the golden
prospects of Western Australia, as to cause him (so it is said) to so
boldly pronounce a scientific theory based on geological observation
alone, and which at that time must have been directly opposed to all
“practical” observations and opinion. It is just possible that some such
information as this might at least prove as acceptable and interesting, as
for instance, all those weary columns about Miss Achurch and Ibsen's
plays, that the Perth papers have so lately been deluged with.

While on the subject of the early history of the colony, must it not be a
matter of general regret, that though our oldest colonists are dropping
out one by one, there does not seem to be any literary effort being made
to preserve in the form of history any written record of our earliest
days, and I feel sure the early history of Western Australia, in which so
many of our parents and grand-parents played a prominent part, would prove
as interesting an historical volume as many others ; and perhaps in a few
years more the silent hand of death may have for ever prevented those who
now could furnish so many interesting facts and anecdotes from placing
them on record, and they thus will for ever perish—to our own disgrace.

Suppose a committee were formed, composed of old colonists and some
literary men whose business it should be to collect from our earliest
colonists now living all the necessary information and early historical
facts about the colony, carefully arrange these, and then have them edited
by some able pen, and I believe more than one could be found in Perth. Do,
sir, throw your influence into these matters.
Yours, etc.
A. W. RICHARDSON.

[We are not aware that Sir Roderick Murchison ever visited Western
Australia, or any other part of the Australian Continent. His predictions
concerning the discovery of gold in Australia were made from reports he
received of the geological formation of various parts, and not from a
personal inspection.—ED. W. A.]

prevalent among them, as to Sir R. Murchison's expressed opinion of the
existence of gold in the colony is altogether erroneous. This of course
was well known to geographers, and I have constantly asserted my personal
knowledge of the truth as confirmed by Mr. Woodward's letter, and have
been always flatly and often rudely contradicted. As I was present at the
delivery of Sir R. Murchison's address in 1844, I could have no doubt on
the subject, but popular errors are not easily dispelled, especially when
“the wish is father to the thought.”
Yours etc.,
C. G. NICOLAY.
Fremantle, Jan. 6., Jan. 6.

—“I have been through all Murchison's addresses to the Geographical Society, and consulted Geiki's 'Life of Murchison' and other books innumerable, and cannot find that he gave any opinion in favour of the prospect of finding gold in Western Australia.

Murchison, of course, never in his life was anywhere near the Australian colonies.” In his Presidential address to the Royal Geographical Society, in May, 1844 (Journ. R.G.S., XIV., pp. xcix.-c),  Sir R. I. Murchison, after pointing out the similarity of the rocks forming the great chain running down the Eastern side of Australia and entering into Van Dieman’s Land to those of the Ural mountains, remarks :—

“But it (the Australian chain) differs from the Ural and many other Meridian chains in having as yet offered no trace of gold or auriferous veins.” Again, in 1864, when Mr. E. C. Hargreaves read a paper on “The Non-Auriferous Character of the Rocks of Western Australia,” before the Royal Geographical Society (Proc. R.G.S. Vol. VIII., 1864, page 32), Sir R I Murchison, President in the chair : “The President, in expressing the customary vote of thanks to the author for the paper, said Mr. Hargreaves was the first practical explorer of gold mines in Australia. He had been sent out by Government to if Western Australia would prove auriferous. He had stated what certainly was a fact, that he (Sir R. I. M.) never had the remotest idea of suggesting that Western Australia would prove auriferous, on the contrary he knew very well that from what had been previously said of the structure of those rocks, and from the fossils and organic remains which had been brought before them by Mr. Frank Gregory, who had explored the country, that there were none of those ancient slatey rocks in the regions examined, with quartz veins in them in which gold could be discovered.”

From the first quotation it will be seen that Sir R. I. Murchison merely pointed out the similarity of the rocks in Eastern Australia to certain gold bearing rocks of other parts of the world ; while in the second he speaks positively against the probability of gold being found in this colony.
I am, &c.,
BERNARD H. WOODWARD.
The Geological Museum, Jan. 2nd.

IN another column we publish a short letter from the Reverend C. G. Nicolay, bearing out the interesting statements contributed by Mr. B. H. Woodward to our issue of the 6th inst. respecting Sir Roderick Murchison’s alleged prediction that gold would be found in Western Australia.
 

Ashur-Nasir-Pal, King of Assyria, B.C. 885-860. The first of these
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.