American
Consul-General in Melbourne, Thos. Adamson, Esq., jun., who, as a
fellow-passenger to California, introduced the delegate to all the
leading mining and professional experts in San Francisco, thus paving
the way for successfully carrying out his mission, and for which
services he desires to record his thanks. Amongst the numerous
gentlemen in both the States visited, who received the delegate so very
kindly and hospitably, and who aided him so disinterestedly in his
laborious task, the proprietor of the Alta California, Fredk.
MacCrellish, Esq., deserves special mention, for his rendering,
besides, timely and unsought-for aid when the delegate was
unfortunately left, for a considerable period, in an embarrassed
position through non-arrival of remittances.
The
return to Victoria was accomplished after an absence of nearly five
months, of which time two months were passed on the sea, leaving a very
short time for his investigations at the mines of the Pacific slopes
and Nevada. The original report was handed to the committee shortly
after the return to the colony, and at first it was intended that the
committee should publish it at its own expense and under its own
authority, but eventually it was deemed more judicious to widen the
basis of the scheme, and to ask the Government to undertake this task,
as it was likewise felt that, if the authorities were to do so, the
miners of the whole colony would be enabled to secure the valuable
information obtained at the expense of the subscribers on Bendigo. The
Treasurer, the Honorable Graham Berry, M.P. (Premier), agreed to do
this in conjunction with the Hon. W. Collard Smith, M.P., Minister of
Mines, and thus the manuscript report, together with its numerous
diagrams, was then submitted to the Secretary for Mines, Major
Couchman, C.E., for examination, and with a view of estimating the cost
of its publication, and reproduction of the diagrams accompanying the
text. It was found, however, that to do so would necessitate an outlay
of about six hundred pounds sterling, and as that amount exceeded the
anticipations of the Government, the Honorable the Minister of Mines
agreed, in reply to questions put to him by Messrs. Robt. Clark, Jno.
Maclntyre, and the Hon. A. Mackay, M's.L. A., during the session of
1878-9, to obtain an amended and condensed report from the delegate,
and, by omitting most of the diagrams, sketches, &c., on account of
their being too expensive to reproduce, to considerably reduce the cost
of the publication. This has been done, and this present synopsis of
the original report is therefore published with the sanction and by
direction of the Honorable the Minister of Mines; and the delegate
trusts that his work in its present form may be favorably received, so
that, contingent thereon, the whole of the diagrams, sketches, &c,
now laid aside for possible future use, on the score of economy, maybe
added to a future edition, together with the copious descriptions which
will in that event be necessary,
