138 Proceedings of tJie Royal Society of Victoria. 



of a series which was being written by Mr. Rickard on the 

 habits of the New Britains, and therefore Members might 

 look forward to receiving more information shortl3^ 



The President said this paper was unquestionably one 

 that they would be very glad to have in the " Transactions,"^ 

 and he trusted that they would i-eceive man}' more like it. 

 With the spread of commerce, the old customs of the natives 

 were being broken up, and while they continued to adhere 

 to them, it was desirable that they should be accurately 

 recorded . 



On the subject of " The Sending of Pendulums from Kew 

 Observatoiy to Vi3toria, for the Proposed Gravity Survey," 



Mr. Ellery said Members would probably remember that 

 some time ago Mr. Love had brought the question of a 

 gravity survey prominently before them, and the probability 

 of having such a survey then evidently depended upon the 

 possibility of getting suitable apparatus wherewith to make 

 it. Some twelve months ago, Mr. Love had read a paper 

 with regard to the desirability of extending the pendulum 

 observations (which had been taken in one or two points 

 in Australia) more over the continent, and the matter was 

 then discussed at some little length. The question then 

 was, whether pendulum apparatus already in existence could 

 be borrowed, or whether it would be desirable to get new 

 apparatus. He had undertaken to communicate with the 

 authorities at Kew and the head of the Indian Department 

 in London, to see if he could get the pendulums which had 

 been used in the great survey of India, and which he 

 believed were lying unused at Kew. He had received a 

 letter, stating that the pendulums had been finally swung at 

 Greenwich and Kew, and were in such a condition that they 

 could easily be transferred to the Observatory at Melbourne 

 if thej-e were any prospect of their being made use of These 

 pendulums had been used throughout the survey in India, 

 and swung over nearly the whole extent of that survey. 

 One of them had been brought out to Australia at the time 

 of the last transit of Venus. Mr. Smith and Mr. Pritchard, 

 of the American Coast Survey Department, were despatched to 

 take observations in Australia and New Zealand, and swung 

 one of the pendulums in Sydney. If a plan could now be 

 devised, by which a survey could be carried out, there would 

 be no ditticulty in getting the pendulums. It was considered 



