Proceedings of the Roydl Society of Victoria. 143 



On the 13th of September (the August Meeting having 

 been suffered to lapse on account of the i\rembers being 

 engrossed by preparations for the approaching Inaugural 

 Meeting in Sydney of the Australasian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science), Professor Masson read a paper by 

 himself and Mr. J. B. Kirkland, " On Polyhaloid Salts of 

 Organic Bases." Mr. Ellery, F.R.S., described a New 

 Watkin's Aneroid Barometer. 



On the 1 1 th of October, the President gave a brief account 

 of "The Rise and Pro2:ress of Steam Navigation," and 

 exhibited William Symington's Original Model Steamboat, 

 which had been furnished for the occasion by the Rev. 

 Duncan Fraser. Mr. F. A. Campbell read a paper " On the 

 Active Volcano on Tana, New Hebrides." 



On the loth of November, Mr. A. Dendy read a note "On 

 some Actinian Larva; parasitic on a Medusa from Port 

 Phillip ; " and the Rev. D. Macdonald's third paper " On 

 the Oceanic Languages Semitic," was read by one of the 

 Hon. Secretaries. 



On the 13th of December, Professor Masson read a 

 paper by himself and Mr. Kirkland, on " The Preparation 

 of Alkyl-sulphine and Alkyl-phosphonium Salts ; " and Mr. 

 James Stirling, F.G.S., read one on " The Physiography of 

 the Western Portion of the County of Croajingolong." 



Your Council has to record the remarkably successful 

 initial meeting in Sydney of the Australasian Association for 

 the Advancement of Science in August last, and to remind 

 the Members of this Society that the next meeting is to be 

 held in Melbourne towards the end of the year, and it is 

 hoped that no efforts will be spared to make the second 

 gathering at least equal to the first. 



Your Council has also to congratulate the Society on the 

 change made in the form of the publications of the Society, 

 a new Series of Transactions having been commenced with 

 Professor Spencer's paper on " Megascolides australis " as 

 the first number. This paper has been issued on the pattern 

 of the Transactions of the Royal Society of Loudon, and 

 expense has not been spared to make it worthy of its proto- 

 type. The other papers will be published in the same form 

 as preceding issues, but with the title of Proceedings, the 

 term of Transactions beino- reserved for those demanding 

 more elaborate treatment and style of illustration. It is 



