PORT STEPHENS,
December 21st, 1848.

SIR,— It seems years since the question of the boundary between the provinces of South Australia and Australia Felix, or Port Phillip, was mooted and when, as you will doubtless remember, Mr. Assistant Surveyor Tyers was directed by His late Excellency Sir George Gipps to ascertain the exact position of the boundary line, that officer accordingly made a very detailed and, as it appeared to me, a very careful triangulation of the country between Melbourne and the Glenelg river, by which by astronomical observation, and by chronometric measurement he fixed the eastern point of the entrance of the "Glenelg" in logitude 141°1'23", or 1'23" within the province of Port Phillip.

Mr. Tyers' calculations were examined by Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., who, it appears, re-calculated the trigonometrical and chronometric measurements, and found the longitude to be 16".2 to the eastward of Mr. Tyers. They were, however, questioned by that eminent geographer, Mr. Arrowsmith, who, in a map published under the authority of the South Australian Company, had placed the mounth of the Glenelg some eight or nine miles within the province of South Australia.

Being at that time a question of great interest, I took pains to satisfy myself upon the subject, and I found, from the observations of sixteen different observers, from Captain Cook to the expedition of Sir James Ross to the antarctic seas, (using 10°10'30" as the difference of longitude between Sydney, Fort Macquarie, and Melbourne) that only two place the river Glenelg to the westward of the 141st degree of longitude.

By the observations of Sir Thomas Brisbane and Mr. Rumker (now Director of the Observatory at Hamburg), Paramatta was considered to be in longitude 10h. 4m. 6s..25 or 151°1'32".7 east, from which Mr. Tyers deduces that of the Glenelg to be 141°1'34"; but Mr. Rumker after recalculating his observations, gives a more easterly position to Parramatta, viz., by l4".52, so placing the disputed point 1'48".5 within the boundary of Port Phillip.

But there is good reason to believe that Parramatta is yet more easterly, at least 17" or in 151°2'18" east, and if so, the mouth of the Glenelg will be in 141°2'18".3 east. This is yet to be determined.

I have taken the liberty of troubling you with this matter to shew the importance of the re-establishment of the Observatory, if it be only to decide question which, at some future time may give rise to very disagreeable disputes. I could advance much stronger arguments for its re-establishment had it not already been decided that science did not require it, but I think that its usefulness, for the purpose I have described would be very great.

The instruments and books are, as I understand, to be sold by public auction; if so, they will fetch but a mere trifle. The erection of an Observatory may at present not be desirable, for various reasons but at some future time such an event might be necessary, and then it would be a cause of great regret that such valuable instruments, as some are, should have been lost.

I have therefore, the honor to request, that you will convey to His Excellency the Governor the following proposition.

That His Excellency would delay the sale of the following list of instruments until it be ascertained whether they may not be kept in store until an Observatory be established, or until they may be mere advantageously disposed of, viz.:

• One Astronomical Clock, by Hardy.


• One Astronomical Clock, by Barraud.


• One Astronomical Clock, by Grimaldi.


• Mural Circle, 5 ½ inch Transit.


• 16 inch Repeating Circle.


• Equatorial Stand and 46 inch Telescope by Banks.


• Mountain Barometer, by Troughton.


• 30 inch portable Transit Collimator.

Among the books there are several of value to an Observatory that would fetch little more than as waste paper if brought to the hammer.

There are other Instruments in the list of those that belonged to the Observatory, but not desirable to retain, although they would scarcely realise here the value of their weight in metal.