president's address. 551 



member, Mr. Cosmo Newbery, continue doing good work in our 

 midst. The collections of the Industrial and Technological 

 Museum have been largely increased during the past year by the 

 additions of specimens in each section and several new divisions 

 have been formed. It may be mentioned that the knowledge 

 derived from the museum collection of Indian timber has led to 

 the opening of a new trade between this colony and India. Our 

 National Museum already shows signs of being cramped for room, 

 and the Director, Professor McCoy, during the past year, has 

 directed his attention to additions of such classes as occupy small 

 space, and has therefore devoted his work chiefly to the zoological 

 and geographical classification of insects, and in filling up gaps in 

 the collection of shells." Mr. Ellery then refers at some length to 

 " one or two interesting astronomical events. First, the apparition 

 in September of the Great Comet of 1882, then the transit of 

 Venus in December, and subsequently the determination by 

 telegraph of the differences of longitude between Singapore and 

 Port Darwin, and then between Port Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne 

 and Sydney." 



Mr. E. A. F. Murray, Government Geologist of Victoria, has 

 been surveying the country about Rodborough, which is interest- 

 ing, as containing the northern continuation of the combined 

 Creswick, Kingston, Smeaton and Climes auriferous lead-systems. 



The deep borings for Coal at Port Arlington, Colac, or Coleraine 

 have not been successful in striking a payable seam of coal ; but 

 in the eastern mesozoic area a seam up to 2 feet 8 inches thick of 

 first-class coal has been opened, and Mr. Murray considers that it 

 extends for many square miles. 



Dr. P. H. Macgillivray, of Sandhurst, has been adding largely 

 to our knowledge of living Polyzoa, and has described and illus- 

 trated a large number of new species in papers read before the 

 Royal Society. 



One of the most indefatigable scientific workers in Australia, 

 is Mr. A. W. Howitt, F.G.S., Police Magistrate of Sale, Victoria. 

 Mr. Howitt has been steadily working out the Geology and 

 Mineralogy of his large district, and has published several papers 



