Charles Smith Wilkinson (22 August 1843 – 26 August 1891) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

geologist. He became geological surveyor in charge in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in 1875 and was president of the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. It is the oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere. The Society traces its ...

in 1887.

Early life

Wilkinson was born at Pottersbury,

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, the fourth son of David Wilkinson, C.E., who was associated with

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was an English civil engineer and Mechanical engineering, mechanical engineer during the Industrial Revolution. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victoria ...

in the production of early locomotives. The family moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

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in 1852, and the young Wilkinson was educated at a private school conducted by the Rev. T. P. Fenner.

Career

In December 1859 Wilkinson was given a position in the

Geological Survey of Victoria Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

under

Alfred Richard Cecil Selwyn Alfred Richard Cecil Selwyn, Order of St. Michael and St. George, CMG, Legum Doctor, LL.D, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, Geological Society of London, FGS (26 July 182419 October 1902) was a British geologist and public servant, director of ...

. In 1861 he became a field assistant to

Richard Daintree Richard Daintree CMG (13 December 1832 – 20 June 1878) was a pioneering Australian geologist and photographer. In particular, Daintree was the first Government geologist for North Queensland discovering gold fields and coal seams for future ...

with whom he was associated in the survey of part of southern

. In 1863 he was sent to explore the

Cape Otway Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park. The cape marks the boundary between the Southern Ocea ...

(Victoria) region and in 1866 succeeded Daintree when the latter left for

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. In 1868 Wilkinson's health broke down; he resigned from the survey, and spent the next four years at

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

. He passed the examination for licensed surveyor in 1872, and was sent by the surveyor-general of New South Wales to the new tin-mining district in

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, on which he reported, and in 1874 he was appointed geological surveyor. In 1875 Wilkinson was transferred to the mines department with the title of geological surveyor in charge. The systematic geological survey of

was begun under his direction, and valuable work was done. He urged

Joseph Edmund Carne Joseph Edmund Carne (12 February 1855 – 23 July 1922) was an Australian geologist. Carne was born near Urana, New South Wales, to a Cornish Australian family, and was educated at a private school at Campbelltown, New South Wales. He worked in ...

to study geology, subsequently in 1879, Carne joined the survey as assistant to Wilkinson. In 1876 Wilkinson was elected a fellow of the

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and in 1881 a fellow of the

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. In 1882

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was appointed assistant geological surveyor, Wilkinson delegated much responsibility to him.

Late life and legacy

In 1883 and 1884 Wilkinson was president of the

Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society succ ...

and in 1887 president of the

. He died after a short illness on 26 August 1891. He was survived by his wife and two sons (including a daughter born shortly after his death). His ''Notes on the Geology of New South Wales'' was published by the mines department in 1882, and about 80 of his reports and papers are listed in the ''Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales'' for 1892, p. 9. Wilkinson was respected by his colleagues, who did good work in connexion with the mining industry, and was the first to suggest to the government the possibility of finding

subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...

water in western New South Wales. The first bore was put down under his direction. The fine collection of minerals in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

geological survey museum was founded and largely brought together by him. His name was commemorated in the fossil species of an early amphibian, '' Platyceps wilkinsonii'' Stephens 1887, after making the specimen used in its original description available to William John Stephens.

Notes

References

* ;Attribution * Additional references from the Dictionary of Australian Biography: *H. C. Russell, ''Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales'', 1892, p. 6; *

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

, 27 August 1891 *J. H. Heaton, ''Australian Dictionary of Dates; The Geological Magazine'', 1891, pp. 571–3. Additional references from the Australian Dictionary of Biography : *''Votes and Proceedings'' (Legislative Assembly, Victoria), 1868, 2 (15) *''Votes and Proceedings'' (Legislative Assembly, New South Wales), 1871–72, 2, 305 *Engineering Assn of New South Wales, ''Proceedings'', 6 (1890–91) *Linnean Society of New South Wales, ''Proceedings'', 16 (1891) *''Mining Journal'' (London), 17 Oct 1891 *E. J. Dunn and

Daniel James Mahony Daniel James Mahoney (1878–1944), was an Australian scientist in the field of geology and petrology. He was a specialist in the Victorian Mines Department, undertook research in Cambridge and was director of the Museum of Victoria from 1931 to ...

, ''Biographical sketch of the founders of the Geological Survey of Victoria'', Victorian Geological Survey, Bulletin, 23 (1910) *''Town and Country Journal'', 16 February 1889, 29 August, 5 September 1891 *''Australasian'', 13 September 1890, 29 August 1891.

External links

*State Library of New South Wales 2002,
Photographs - Dry plate. 8.5 x 6.5 in. P. of CS Wilkinson
, NSW Government Printing Office : collection of copy negatives, 1870–1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Charles Smith 1843 births 1891 deaths Colony of New South Wales people 19th-century Australian geologists British emigrants to colonial Australia Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Members of the Linnean Society of New South Wales Fellows of the Geological Society of London Otway Ranges