vii 



Hon. C. H. Grant spoke in terms of warm praise of Dr. Sprott's 

 paper, and said there was no doubt that cremation in time to come 

 would be the indispensable form of burial. He would like to see in 

 connection with the crematories destructors to burn up all organic sub- 

 stances liable to putrefy. He assured Dr. Sprott that the audience 

 had listened with the greatest interest to the paper, and if he had not 

 oonverted them all to cremation as against earth burial, he had probably 

 converted a good many. 



Dr. Sjprott, in closing the discussion, said cremation as a matter of 

 sanitary reform must come. He was not competent to deal thoroughly 

 with the religious objections, but the sentimental objections were 

 simply a matter of custom. He hoped that the reform would not be 

 made in a hurry ; that it would not be foroed upon the people, but 

 that they would be educated to ask for it. 



IGNEOUS ROCKS. 



The Secretary, in the absence of the authors, read a paper on 

 "Some Igneous Rocks from the Heazlewood District," by Messrs. W. 

 H. Twelvetrees, F.G.S., and W. F. Petterd, F.Z.S.L. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston spoke of the excellent work the authors of the 

 paper were doing in that particular branch of science. No doubt in the 

 future all the rocks of Tasmania would be analysed by them, and their 

 papers would largely enrich the records of the Royal Society. The 

 meeting could not do other than accord Messrs. Twelvetrees and Petterd 

 hearty thanks for their valuable paper. 



A VISITOR AND REMARKS ON TASMANIAN IRON. 



The Secretary introduced to the Chairman and the meeting Mr. W. 

 G, Dauncey, C.E., of Sydney, who is on a visit to Tasmania in con- 

 neotion with the Blyth River and Penguin iron deposits. In reply to 

 questions, Mr. Dauncey said the chrome existent in much of the Tas- 

 manian iron ore was deleterious. Chromic iron lacked malleability, 

 and the demand for it was very limited at the present time. He had, 

 after considerable research, discovered a substance for which chrome 

 had a greater affinity than iron, and it was possible by his method to 

 extract the chrome and leave excellent iron. But when he had made 

 this discovery he learned that that there were vast deposits in Tas- 

 mania withoat the percentage of chrome. He had sent home a bulk 

 sample of Tasmanian iron, for which he was assured by one of the 

 largest buyers in England he could rely on obtaining about 16s. 6d. 

 per ton. By sending the ore home as ballast in the wool ships it could 

 be made to pay at that price. He had had the offer to take any 

 quantity up to 1,000 tons per month, in the wool season, at 5s. per 

 ton. He had about 30 analyses of the Penguin ore, and 9 out of 10 of 

 them showed no trace of chrome. 



THE BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY. 

 Mr. H. C. Kingsmill, M.A., Meteorological Observer, read the 

 following letter which he had received from Mr. Alex. Buohan, Presi- 

 dent of the Scottish Meteorological Society. 



Scottsdale Meteorological Society, 122, George-street, Edinburgh, April 13, 

 1897. Dear Sir,— I had the pleasure some days ago of sending you a parcel 

 of books and papers relative to our Ben Nevis Observatory, and the im- 



