WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



First Meeting: 8th July, 1896. 



Mr. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. 



Neio Member. — Mr. Frank Maxwell Leckie. 



The President delivered his opening address, Antarctic 

 Explorations, Kontgen Bays, and the Discovery of Argon 

 being the subjects of the address. {Transactions, p. 111.) 



Major-General Schaw was sure he spoke the feelings of all present 

 when he proposed that the thanks of the meeting be given to the Presi- 

 dent for his address, which had given so much information in so clear 

 and pleasing a way. Mr. Travers had alluded to the speaker's paper as 

 to the need of pendulum experiments being made further south. He 

 had also alluded to Mr. Proctor's theory that the peculiarly low atmo- 

 spheric pressure towards the South Pole was caused by the centre of 

 gravity of the earth being south of the equator. All the facts hitherto 

 ascertained by pendulum experiments showed that, on the contrary, the 

 centre of gravity of the earth was north of the equator. He was very 

 glad that the President had again drawn attention to the necessity of 

 making exhaustive pendulum experiments as near the South Pole as 

 possible. 



Sir James Hector had much pleasure in seconding the vote of 

 thanks to the President for the valuable and well-rendered resume 

 he had given of the most prominent scientific discoveries made 

 during the past year. With respect to Antarctic Exploration, he fully 

 agreed with the views of the President. As to the interior of Antarc- 

 tica, he had always held the opinion that the snowfall must decrease 

 towards the interior and round the pole after crossing the ice-cliff 

 border, across which moisture could not penetrate far without being 

 deposited, as the average maximum temperature was below 32°. His 

 views had often been expressed to the Society that it was rather a dis- 

 grace that no earnest attempt had been yet made to explore such a large 

 and totally unknown area of the earth's surface. 



Mr. Tregear said it was a pleasure to the younger members of the 

 Society to know that Mr. Travers was once more in the chair, and still 

 active aud doing good work. He complimented the President for his 

 able address. 



Mr. Harding said they had heard a most interesting address. It 

 ■was a curious thing that Argon was so nearly discovered nearly a 

 hundred years ago by an old chemist, and that forty years ago they 

 were on the brink of discovering the Rontgen rays. He was glad to 

 hear that coloured photographs could now be obtained. 



Mr. Hustwick said it was Dr. Priestley who so nearly discovered 

 Argon. 



