10 



APEIL, 1871. 



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

 the 11th April, M. Allport, Esq., in the chair, 



S. Smith Travers, Esq. , who had previously been put in nomination, 

 was, after a ballot, declared duly elected a Fellow of the Society. 



The Secretary, Dr. Agnew, submitted the usual returns for the past 

 month, viz. : — 



1. Visitors to Museum, 998. 



2. Ditto to gardens, 2,034. 



3. Leafing, flowering, and fruiting of a few standard plants in the 



Botanic Gardens. 



4. Books and periodicals received. 



5. Presentations to Museum. 



Meteorological Returns : — 



1. Hobart Town, from F. Abbott, Esq., table and summary for March. 



2. Port Arthur, from J. Boyd, Esq. , ditto for March. 



3. Westbury, from F. Belstead, Esq. , ditto for February. 



4. Sydney and other stations in New South Wales, from the Govern- 



ment Observer, printed tables for January. 



5. Melbourne, from R. L. J. Ellery, Esq., table for February. 



6. Great Britain, from the Meteorological Office, London, Quarterly 



Weather Report, part 2, 1869. 



The Secretary read a communication from Dr. E. S. Hall, to the 

 effect that he had been unable to prejjare his usual analysis of the 

 meteorological records, &c., in time for the meeting, but giving instead 

 a short abstract of the general results, and promising a full return in a 

 few days. 



The presentations to the Museum were as follow : — 



1. From Lieutenant Leefe, B.N., a small collection of shells from Fiji. 



2. From Mr. S. Dove, a very large Mussel shell from the Derwent, 



near the New Wharf. 



3. From Mr. John Gage, a skull, probably of an Aborigine, found on 



Mount Direction. 



4. From J. MaclanachanEsq., M.L.C., a Carolina Duck {Dendronessa 



sponsa). 



5. From Mr. B. Giblin, a Kingfisher {Alcyone azurea). 



6. From Mr. M. Allport, a very large specimen of the Mantis, from 



North Coast of Tasmania. 



7. From Sir Bobt. Officer, a geological map. 



The following letter from Mr. Mclntyre was read in continuation of 

 the subject. Alum, which was discussed at the last evening meeting. 



"Sir, — Allow me to refer to the observations made at the last meet- 

 ing of your Society, respecting the sample of stone alum from Brook's 

 Creek, which I forwarded a few weeks back to the Hon. the Minister of 

 Lands and Works. I find that the members present were at a loss as 

 to the quantity of the mineral which could be obtained, the expenses 

 incurred in preparing it for the market, and the expenses attending expor- 

 tation to Victoria or England. The following I submit is an approxi- 

 mate of the cost : — Raising and crystallizing, 15s. ; transit to Launces- 

 ton, 40s. ; freight to England, 20s. ; extra commission, &c., 5s. ; total, 

 £4 per ton, and as to quantity thousands of tons are open to view. The 

 quotations in England by last mail are £7 5s. and £8 10s., which would 

 leave a handsome margin to exporters. I may, however, remark that I 

 have written by this mail to several drysalters in Manchester, and when 



