124 FOUNDATION AND EARLY WORK 



R.S. TAS.. 



Its first show was held on the regatta ground at Pavilion 

 Point on 3rd December, 1839, the day of the Second Tas- 

 manian Anniversary Regatta. It held three shows during 

 the summer season ; and in connection with the show of 

 January, 1840, Lady Franklin gave a prize for "the neat- 

 "est kept cottage and cottage garden."' The Horticultural 

 Society continued in existence until the foundation of the 

 Royal Society. 



The Tasmanian Society (1838). 



In the year 1837 Sir John Franklin became Lieutenant- 

 Governor of Tasmania. He was already famous for two 

 voyages to the Polar Seas ; he was a member of several 

 learned societies ; and he and Lady Franklin had many 

 scientific friends. It was natural, then, that the Governor 

 should attraci to Tasmania the many distinguished men 

 who were his guests during his Governorship ; and that 

 many others interested in scientific subjects should cor- 

 respond with him. From the inquiries which were made 

 of His Excellency, he was led to form a scientific society, 

 the origin of which is thus described in a "Minute'' of a 

 meeting of the Tasmanian Society held on 3rd October, 

 1843. (17) "The Tasmanian Society was begun in the 

 "latter part of 1838, under the patronage of Sir John 

 "Franklin. Inquiries had been earnestly made to His 

 "Excellency by men of the greatest eminence in Natural 

 "History and Science to communicate to them information 

 "on the subjects of their respective pui^uits. Feeling that 

 "neither his local information nor the time at his disposal 

 "was sufficient to answer the wishes of these friends in 

 "various parts of the world, His Excellency deteraiined 

 "upon inviting the gentlemen of the countiy, whom he 

 "knew to be in possession of the requisite information, to 

 "unite in forming a Society for the purpose of illustrating 

 "the Natural History, Agriculture, Statistics, etc., of this 

 "country." 



The Society does not seem to have had at first any dis- 

 tinctive name. Its minute book for 1841 is entitled 

 "Minutes of 'The Society, Van Diemen's Land' '' ; but in 

 the first number of its journal, TJie Tasmanian Jonrnal 

 of Natural Science, Agriculture^ Statistics, etc., nnblislied 

 in August, 1841j it is called the "Philosophical Society of 

 Tasmania." In the preface to the first complete volume, 

 published in 1842. the Society is called the Tasmanian 

 Society, and this name it retained. 



The following extracts from an "Introductory Paper,'' 



(17) Hobart Town Advertiser, 20th October, 1843. 



