Francis Ministry to 31 July 1874.

Wednesday, 19 March 1873.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 5.00 pm at the Royal Society's hall.
Present: Stawell (chair), Wilkie, Smith, Gillbee, Mueller.

Related archive: SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 295. Minutes of the EC, 19 March 1873.

Monday, 7 July 1873.
Final balance sheet (Appendix II to the Supplementary Final Report) drawn up by Dr Wilkie, showing the total expenditure to have been £57, 840 8s 8d.

The Argus (Friday, 12 December 1873, page 5) reported that 'the Exploration Committee's accounts were finally closed, and the balance in hand, £20, was handed over to the trustees of the Melbourne Cemetery. Sixteen years have elapsed since the first appointment of the Committee, and in the interval, five of its members have been removed by death, one is in England, another in Sweden, a third in Singapore, and a fourth in Canada.'

Sir William Stawell said of the members of the Exploration Committee:

They relinquish labours which have been arduous and protracted in themselves, and glorious in their results, with the calm consciousness that those labours have been conducted in a zealous and disinterested spirit, have been persevered in, in the face of obloquy, misrepresentation, and detraction, and will be found to have conduced most materially to the honour of Victoria and the advantage of the British race.

Related archive: SLV MS13071 Box 2081/5d.

• Inventory of RSV EC documents deposited in Melbourne Public Library, received 23 March 1875. 9p.