31 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



APEIL, 1865. 



The monthly evening meeting of the Fellows was held on Tuesday, the 

 11th April, J. Barnard, Esq., in the chair. 



The following gentlemen having been previously nominated by the Council, 

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

 Lord, Esq., Hobart Town; E. M. Lloyd, Esq,, E.E., Hobart Town ; and as 

 corresponding member, the Rev. Julian E. Woods, of Penola, South Australia. 



The following returns were laid on the table : — 



1. Visitors to Museum during March, 663. 



2. Ditto to Gardens ditto, 2,127. 



3. Seeds received at Gardens. From Justin Browne, Esq., six varieties of 

 Chinese peas. 



4. Plants sent from Gardens. To Mr. Diehl, Dunedio, 48 roses, 12 shrubs ; 

 to Mr. H. Low, London, one case plants; to A. Verschaffett, Ghent, 

 Belgium, two large tree ferns. 



5. Books and Periodicals received. 



The Secretary drew special attention to the two valuable illustrated 

 Botanical Works, by Dr. Mueller, presented by the Victorian Government. 

 Meteorological Returns. 



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

 (a) Table for March. 



(6) Summary of Observations for ditto. 



2. Tamar Heads, from R. Henry, Esq. 

 (a) Table for February. 



The Secretary read the usual Analysis of the Observatory Records for 

 March, together with a Health Report for the month, by E. Swarbreck Hall, 

 Esq. 



The following presentations were brought under the notice of the meeting : — 



1. From C. Degraves, Esq. — A model of a Cingalese boat, two dirks from 

 Algeria, two Spanish knives, two fossil shark's teeth from Malta, a 

 mineralogical specimen. 



2. From P. Seal, Esq.— Portions of the hull of the steamship "Royal 

 Charter," wrecked in Moelfra Bay. Also pa.'t of the woodwork of a 

 sofa from the wreck of the same vessel. 



3. Fiom A. Nicholas, Esq. — Specimen of Whalebone, showing its mode of 

 growth from the jaw. 



4. From Mr. Russell, Sandy Bay. — A large excrescence from the root of a 

 honeysuckle tree. 



5. From Mr. Bellette. — Skin of white hawk (Astur JVovce Hollandicn). 



6. FromT. Stephens, Esq. — A specimen of Slate quarried for roofing pur- 

 poses, at Middle Arm on the Tamar ; two cones and flower of a rare 

 species of Bauksia (B. media) from the " Sisters," near Rocky Cape ; and 

 a portion of the stem of -a Tree Fern. (Alsophila AustralisJ from Table 

 Cape. 



In refeienceto the specimens presented by him, Mr. Stephens observed 

 that the slate was associated with bands of blue and white limestone, and 

 quartz rock, the series being highly inclined and contorted, and overlaid la 

 places by horizontal beds of an impure limestone, containing upper Palaeozoic 

 fossils, and passing upwards into carboniferous sandstone. Like all the other 

 slates which occur along the north coast, and in other parts of the colony, it 

 differed from the roofing-slates of Great Britain in that it was only fissured 

 along the planes of stratification, and possessed no true cleavage. It was not 

 of a sufficiently durable character to be valuable for roofing, but might be 

 utilised for other purposes. 



The species of Banksia pi'oducing the large cones which were exhibited, 



was found only in one spot in Tasmania, a narrow belt some three miles ia 



length near Rocky Cape on the north coast, growing in almost pure quartz 



sand to a height of 30 feet. It is not uncommon in the south of Gipp^' X<and 



£ 



