iver them to
their lawful owner, Frederick Byerly, Esquire, Surveyor, Melbourne.

About the time I am now referring to, I was often congratulated by
gentlemen of the Surveying Department, who were acquainted with my
son, on his rapid progress in the difficult branches of the
science. One, in particular, said: "I consider it wonderful that
your son should have mastered this business almost by his own
exertions, whilst I have cost my father nearly a thousand pounds in
England, under first-rate teachers, and am glad to go to him for
information on many points." Mr. Byerly too, who is not given to
flatter, when I thanked him for having so ably instructed and
brought my son forward in so short a time, replied: "Don't thank
me; I really believe he has taught me quite as much as I have
taught him." In my own experience, his queries and suggestions led
me to investigate many things, which I had slightly considered,
without thoroughly understanding them. He had a rare gift of
ascertaining in a very short time the use of any instrument put
into his hands, and could detect at a glance its defects, if such
existed. In the early part of 1858, a gentleman who had made errors
in his surveys asked him to look over some of his instruments.
William, on taking one into his hand, said at once, with a smile:
"If you work with this, you will find many errors." "That is why I
asked you," replied the owner. "I have been surveying with it, and
have committed nothing but mistakes." So much were people in the
habit of praising him, that it carried my thoughts back to my Latin
Grammar, and the quotation from Terence:--

Omnes omnia
Bona dicere et laudare fortunas meas,
Qui gnatum haberem tali ingenio praeditum.

For himself, he was perpetually lamenting to me that at school
he had not received more mathematical instruction; that the time
spent in classics exclusively, was, for many, time thrown away. But
I must do his late master the justice of saying, that when he first
received him under his tuition, he showed little fondness for
mathematics in general, although he had a taste for algebra. The
two following letters, to his brother and mother, bearing the same
date, in the spring of 1858, were despatched from the out-station
where he was engaged in a survey.

St. Arnaud, April 10th, 1858.

DEAR CHARLEY,

I do not think you have written a letter to me since we have been
out here. It gave me much pleasure to see yours to the D