Transcription

       292
DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN AUSTRALIA.

are anterior to any other printed documents relating to Australia gold, so I was, from all I can learn, the first person who wrote to her Majesty's Government on the actual discovery of specimens of native ore, and who urged the well regulated search for it, not as a crude speculation or guess based merely on theory, but as the direct result of inductive reasoning founded upon facts and extensive geological observation.
It is now indeed certain, that if my suggestion of - 1848 had been acted upon, gold would have been largely and profitably extracted under the direction of the Government, three years before the truth was publicly developed by extensive diggings -
Excuse me if I further observe that I did not abandon the subject in 1848 but endeavoured, on the contrary, on various occasions during the two following years, to rouse national attention to the known existence of gold in Australia, adverting strongly to the desirableness of opening out gold works in the Colonies of that continent.
In making this statement I would in no way detract from the merits of Gentlemen resident in the Australian Colonies, who, although their publications were posterior to my own, have done signal service to their Country, and have scientifically, as well as practically explored the auriferous tracks with great ability. But I may be allowed to remark that the earliest printed document relating to gold in Australia, which is referred to in the Parliamentary Papers, is by the Reverend W.B. Clarke and bears the date of Sydney 1847, whilst the first profitable extraction of any notable quantity of ore was made by Mr Hargraves in 1857. 
Under these circumstances, and believing that the above mentioned Parliamentary Papers will naturally be consulted by future authors,o as Comprising all the materials for the Compilation
of a true history of the development of Australian
gold, I am impelled, in honor [honour] of the Science which is registered in the Colonial Office, be printed, so as to form part of the papers respecting the recent discovery of gold in Australia.
A letter from Earl Grey, dated November 24th 1851 and addressed to me, is enclosed, to indicate how distinctly his Lordship referred to my anticipation
+Transactions of the British Association for the advancement of Science 1849

 

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