85 



EOYAL SOCIETY. 



SEPTEMBEE, 1865. 



The monthly evening meeting of the Fellows was held at the Museum, 

 Macquarie-street, on Tuesday, 12th September. The chair was taken by his 

 Excellency, the President, at half -past seven o'clock. 



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

 Steward, Dr. Agnew, (hon. sec. ), Lieut. -Colonel Chesney, Messrs. F. Abbott, 

 J. Doughty, W. Stone, G. R. Napier, G. P. Adams, W. Pitt, W. 

 Johnston, T. Stephens, F. Abbott, jun., &c. The Rev. M. Lalley/i of New 

 Zealand,' Capt. Armstrong, H. M. 14th Regiment, and Capt. Cox, of the 

 Indian Army, were also present as visitors. 



The Secretary laid on the table the following returns, viz : — 



1. Visitors to the Museum durmg August, 591. 



2. Ditto to Gardens ditto, 1,418. 



3. Plants received per Grasmere from Messrs. Backhouse & Sons, York, 

 England, fruit trees, 58, of which 41 were dead on arrival. From Mr. M. 

 Allport, seeds of Sapindus Tndicus, and Gynodon Dactijlon. 



4. Plants, &c., supplied for decoration of the Franklin Square, Public 

 Buildings, Hobart Town and Launceston, &c,, &c,, 1067, and 65 dozen bulbs. 

 For decoration of grounds at salmon ponds, Eiver Plenty, 135. To Mr, 

 Marwedel, 50 papers mixed seeds. 



6. Books and Periodicals received. 

 Meteorological Returns. 



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

 (a) Table for August. 



(6) Summary of observations for ditto. 



2. Port Arthur, from J. Boyd, Esq. 

 (a) Table for July. 



(6) Eeading of schooner's barometer for ditto. 



3. Swansea, from Dr. Story, 

 (a) Table for July. 



4. Tamar Heads, from E. Henry, Esq. 

 (a) Table for July. 



(6) Ditto for August. 



5. Ross, from M. Duncanson, Esq: 

 {a) Table for July. 



(h) Ditto for August. 



A communication from E. Swarbreck Hall, Esq., was read, to the effect that 

 owing to accidental circumstances he had not been able to prepare, in time for 

 the meeting, the usual " Analysis of the Hobart Town Meteorological Records," 

 but "that the month (August) was chai'acterised by mild, dry, sunny, and 

 agreeable weathei', with enough of wind movement and electi'icity to pro- 

 duce a high state of aerial purity, aad consequently the community at large 

 enjoyed a better state of health than is usual in August, and the deaths were 

 below the average of the previous eight years. Children aud adults up 

 to 50 years of age, furnished an unusually small proportion of the deaths, 

 more than two-thirds of the total morality being from 50 to 85 years old." 



The following presentations to the Museum during the past month were 

 brought under the notice of the meeting : — 



1. Four skulls, with horns, of Indian buffalo, and two ditto of deer. 

 From F. J. Cockburn, Esq., of Calcutta, 



2. Two skulls, (male and female), of Tasmanian Aborigines. From the 

 Colonial Government. 



3. Four copper coins. From R, Hallam. 



4. Specimen of Teredo navalis, and wood bored by the i>ame, takea from 

 ^ pile removed from Franklin Wharf. From A. Nicholas, Esq. 



5. A stuffed specimen of rabbit. From "W. Kermode, Esq. 



