PROCEEDINGS, ArRIL. Ill 



His Excellency said that when asked to become President of the 

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science he at first 

 refused, because he thought the position was one which ought to be held 

 by someone who was distinguished in some branch of science. The 

 matter, however, was again pressed upon him, and he was told from 

 several quarters that it was desirable from many points of view that 

 he take the position. It was a position which anyone might be 

 proud to hold, and his hesitation iu accepting it only arose from his 

 thinking he could hardly be able to do justice to its duties. When 

 he found, however, that it was the desire of the association that he 

 should become President, he at once accepted, and having accepted, 

 he meant to do everything in his power to make the meeting a 

 great success. The first thing he did was to try to secure the 

 presence of Professor Huxley, who some time ifo contemplated visiting 

 Australia, lie wrote to Professor Huxley and had received a reply, 

 in which the I'rofessor said that he had v. ry pleasant recollections of 

 Tasmania 13 years ago, and it would interest him very much to 

 re-visit the colony and compare the present with the past, but he 

 regretted that the state of his health pr \ « nt<d him from accepting 



the invitation. II- (President] wai ran rant they all regretted that 



Professor Huxley was unable I ad that Ill-health til theciuae. 



Mr. Morton, in bi Iveo S OB list 



of the l': ind Vies r . and had mentioned the name 



of Sir Win. McGregor as one who had not yet signified bis Intention 



to be present. He h.i i writt-n to Sir William, and I it feO 



him the Importance of the n Invited Bit William 



to be his guest at Government House, sad b< hoped he would oome 



and lend tii it ■ r which bii irork 



he had done in New Guinea would bring to the m I the 



association. He had sleo written tot* ■ • dis- 



tinguishf I in the walks of them I | at to 



md !)-■ his gneats on tfa *ion of the meetings ol the 



association, li that both, or i\ gentlemen 



would accept his invitation, and he hid no doubt "hut that iu the 

 event of his being successful in announcing the names ol those gentle- 

 men as visitors to Tasmania, tm y WOUld Ived with the 

 greatest satisfaction by the members Ol the association. He was glad 

 to see so many present in this, the first meeting of the wion 

 of the Royal Society, including their friend, Mr. Alfred J. Taylor, 

 who had just recovered from a serious illness. 



Tb . EL 11. v .. D i>., Bm 



■ paper ant -ie account • f the Mutton Bh 



seen in their Bomss among the Pun 

 Uaads, Bai Straits, Tssmani . luring a visit to the 



Locality in March, 1>91." 



Mr. T. Brinuuu eaUed attenti si I — I* 



A specimen of shale from mar the Henty Etiver, with I . snd 

 closely resembling the shale in which more than twenty 



found the first in I this tern in the ht Like 



the Mersey coal, thi under marine Is of 

 osrboniferoui as bom the flanks of Mount 



north-west of Like St. Clair, cropping OUl at a height of ibout 3, UOOft. 



above sea leveL 3. Silurian bm d the site cu entlyput 



down at liailton in ■ d, with a portion of core belonging to the 



same series from a reported depth of about 000ft. Mr. Stephens remarked 



that the lavish expenditure which hid been incurred here in luring through 

 strata, which are well known DJ all acquainted with the geology of the 

 district as being, geologically speaking, below the whole of the Ml 



