37 



MAY, 1864. 



The monthly evening meeting of the Society was held at the Museum on 

 Tuesday, the 10th May. The chair was taken by His Excellency at half- 

 past seven o'clock. 



Among the Fellows present were Captain Steward, the Ven. Archdeacon 

 Davies,Dr. Agnew, Hon. Sec, Messrs. F. Abbott, sen., F. Abbott, jun., H. S. 

 Wintle, J. Facey, W. Johnston, L. Susman, G. R. Napier, A. Kennerley, T. 

 Giblin, M. Allport, J. Woolley, J. Davies, M.H. A.., J. Baniai-d, T, Stephens, 

 W. L. Dobson, Dr. Butler, Lieut. Seddon, R.E., &c., &c. 



The following gentlemen (having been previously nominated by the Covmcil) 

 were, after a ballot, declared to be duly elected Fellows of the Society : — 

 Professor Neumayer (as corresponding member), Colonel Crawford, and Mr. J. 

 T. Eobertson. 



The following retiu-ns were laid on the table : — 



1. Visitors to the Museum during April, 336. 



2. Ditto to Gardens, ditto, 1,454. 



~ , 3. Tench supplied— Mr. AUport, 36 ; IMr. Hull, 12; total, 42. 

 J ' '' 4. Seeds received from Dr. Milligan (papers), 43. 



5. Periodicals received (the usual). 

 Meteorological Returns. 



1. Hobart Town, from F. Abbott, Esq. 

 (a) Table for April. 



(6) Summary and Analysis of Observations for ditto. 



2. Swansea, from Dr. Story, table for March. 



The Secretary read an Analysis of the Meteorological Observations for 

 Atpril, together with a Health Eeport for the month, by E. S. Hall, Esq. 

 The presentations were as follows : — 



1. From Dr. Milligan, London, the undermentioned seeds : — Pinus "Web- 

 biana, 2 papers Pinus excelsa, 4 do Cedrus deodora. Large Sunflower, 

 6 papers Stocks, 6 do Astei's, 2 do Rhododendron campanulatum, 1 do 

 Rhododendron anthropogon, I do Primula cartasoides, 1 do " Jemboo" 

 of India, 1 do of an American Grass, said to withstand excessive droughts. 

 The five last named being new to the Gardens. 



17 Papers of Vegetable Seeds, of which a few are new to the Gardens. 



2. A Black Cockatoo, from Mr. Watson, of Brown's River. 



3. Fern impression found in Seymour Coal ; 4. Carraway Seed grown in 

 Hobart Town; and 5. Sample of Colonial Grape Wine, from JMr. 

 Vautin. 



The wine was tasted by several members after the meeting, and was thought 

 to be a very pure, genuine, and pleasant beverage. Its cost to the maker, 

 who grows his own gi-apes,is about fourteen pence per gallon. The Secretary 

 mentioned that Mr. R. P. Adams has also made a very excellent wine from 

 our common Sweet Water grape. 



Dr. Agxew then ol^served that he wished to bring under the notice of the 

 meeting the subject of "Traction Engines," and theii' suitability for the carriage 

 of heavy goods and passengers on commou roads. About five or six months 

 ago he had noticed, as doubtless had also many of the Fellows then present, 

 a correspondence on the subject in the local newspapers, and the arguments 

 then brought forward by Lieut. Seddon, R.E. (who wrote under the signa- 

 ture of " Why Not"), appeared quite conclusive as to the great value of these 

 engines for the purpose already indicated. He thought, however, as the 

 question was one of great importance, it would be very advisable to obtain 

 some still more practical and authoritative information in reference to it, and 

 had accordingly written home to two large manufacturers, the Messrs. Aveling 

 «,nd Porter, of Rochester, and Bray's Traction Engine Company, London. He 

 had seen in the Illustrated London JVeus very favorable reports on the perfor- 

 mances of the engines of both these companies, but he thought the latter had 

 two points in its favor, first, the fact that its engines were in constant use in 

 H. M. Dockyards at Woolwich, and also that the Earl of Caithness, so well 

 known as a practical mechanician, was one of its directors. In writing homo 

 he had asked if engines of two kinds could be furnished for travelling on 

 the main road between this and Launceston — one with slow speed for heavy- 

 weights, such as merchandise or farm produce ; the other for the rapid con- 

 veyance of passengers. At the same time he had given aa accurate an account 



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