Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 139 



very desirable and important that tlie pendulums should be 

 swung in some of the central parts of Australia. He would 

 undertake to get them out immediately if assured that there 

 was some prospect of their being used for the purposes 

 indicated. The best way, he thought, would be to form a 

 sub-committee of the Royal Society, and to empower them 

 to take the necessary steps. At last year's meeting, it had 

 been stated that it was thought there would not be very 

 much expense involved in the matter, so long as the instru- 

 ments were obtained. Mr. Love had said he would be quite 

 willing to go with the pendulums into the interior, or to any 

 other place thought de.>>irable, in order to swing them. At 

 all events, it would involve some expenditure, and he 

 thought the best way would be to appoint a sub-committee 

 to consider the matter, and report thereon as soon as possible, 

 so that the pendulums might be obtained in time to be used 

 before the coming summer was over. He therefore moved, 

 "That a sub-committee, consisting of Professors Kernot,^ 

 Masson, Lyle, Mr. White, Mr. Love, and the mover, be 

 appointed to discuss the matter, and to report thereon to the 

 Society as soon as possible, Mr. Love acting as Secretfiry to 

 the Committee." 



This resolution was seconded by Mr. Way, and carried 

 unanimously. 



The President suggested, in view of the approaching 

 Antarctic Expedition, that there would be a possibility of 

 getting the pendulums swung in some high Southern Lati- 

 tude. Gravity experim.ents had been made in the Northern 

 Hemisphere, but very few in the Southern Hemisphere, and 

 he thought that a gravity determination in a high Southern 

 Latitude would be a remarkably interesting addition to any 

 physical information the Expedition could gather. Although 

 the pendulums were by no means new, he presumed that 

 they were sufficiently up to the times. He understood that 

 it was the intention to swing them in vacuo. That was 

 theoretically the best way, if it could be done satisfactorily. 

 He did not know if that were generally done in the ca.ses of 

 other determinations. Perhaps Mr. Ellery would give them 

 a little further information, especially as to the possibility of 

 having a determination of the gravity in a high Southern 

 Latitude. 



Mr. Ellery said, with regard to the swinging of the pen- 

 didums in vacuo, that that had been done in several places- 



