554 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



in March, 1836. He was appointed Government Astronomer of 

 that State in 1870 and died on February •22nd, 1907. Mr. 

 Russell's writings appeared chiefly in publications of his 

 Observatory and in those of our sister Society in New South 

 Wales. He was one of the Founders and a Trustee of the 

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. 



Lorimer Fison, M.A., D.D., was educated at Caius College, 

 Cambridge. After some ye^irs in Australia he l)ecame a Metho- 

 dist Missionary to Fiji. While there he conti-ibuted largely to 

 L. H. Morgan's work on Systems of Consanguinity. On return- 

 ing to Australia he studied the social organisation and marriage 

 relationship of the Australian tribe, and in conjunction with Dr. 

 A. W. Howitt published " Kamilaroi and Kurnai," which laid 

 tlie foundation of the scientific study of Australian Aborigines. 

 He published several papers in the Journal of the Anthro- 

 pological Institute. After a long period of infirmity he died at 

 Essendon on 29th Decemljer. In recognition of his scientific 

 services he was granted a pension on the Civil List by the 

 British Government. 



Sir James Hector, K.C.M.G., M.D., F.R.S., late director of 

 Geological Survey of New Zealand, was elected an honorary 

 member in 1888. 



The Government has at last been moved by our necessities, and 

 has given us an additional £50 towards publication. Our total 

 grant is now =£100 per annum, and the Society is grateful for 

 this amount of support given to its work. A portion of the 

 ground lielonging to the Society has been leased to the Gommon- 

 woiilth Meteorological Bureau as a site for an observing station 

 for the Metropolitan area. It is proposed to devote the amount 

 received as rent to improvements and repairs to the house and 

 grounds, which are sadly in need of attention. 



A conference was summoned by Professor W. Baldwin Spencer 

 to consider the question of the Reservation of Wilson's Promon- 

 tory as a National Park. The Council appointed Mr. J. A. 

 Kershaw its representative. Certain reconnuendations were 

 agreed to, and a deputation to the Minister of Lands was very 

 well received. It was promised that the reserve would be made 

 permanent, that it would l)e vested in tiiistees, .uid that the 



