Ixii 



there were occasione when it was a "uise- 

 ful adjunct to the work of the civilian 

 explorer or surveyor. The requisites tor 

 the new method were a box sextant, a 

 steel tape or surveyor's chain, and a cou- 

 ple of ranging rods with some arrows. An 

 assistant to the surveyor was also re- 

 quired, whose work would be of a very 

 simple nature. After illustrating his sub- 

 ject by diagrams, Mr. Kingsmill said the 

 range could be obtained without calcula- 

 tion by means of a table of reciprocals, 

 such as was found in Molesworth's "Book 

 for Engineers. '' The instruments used 

 were those with which a surveyor was 

 supposed to be familiar, and they were 

 easily carried. Though no trial had yet 

 been made with a long range, a satisfac- 

 tory result had been obtained at short 

 ranges. For a rapid geological or topo- 

 graphical sketch a sufficient degree of 

 accuracy should be attainable. 



The Chairman asked if the new range- 

 finder, which depended on two points of 

 observation, could compete for practical 

 work with instruments which required 

 only one point. There was nothing so 

 useful as the theodolite, especially when 

 combined with the calimeter, and he would 

 like to know whether it would not be 

 more rapid and reliable, although per- 

 haps more expensive, and a more satis- 

 factory instrument for obtaining ranges 

 than the one proposed by Mr. Kingsmill. 



Mr. Kingsmill said that his method 

 could not compare for accuracy with the 

 calimeter and theodolite, but he would 

 be sorry to carry the theodolite to places 

 where he could easily carry the other. 

 The idea had occurred to him, on hear- 

 ing that Colonel Legge contemplated an 

 expedition to the plateau on the top of 

 Een Lomond. The Colonel intended to do 

 the work with a plain table, and this 

 new method had been designed to assist. 



Stereoscopic Photography. 



Mr. W. E. Masters, B.A., LL.B., next 

 delivered a very lengthy and fluent ad- 

 dress on "Stereoscopic Photograpny,'' il- 

 lustrated by numerous diagrams. The 

 efiPect produced by viewing a picture 

 through the stereoscope for the first time 

 was an appearance of reality, which 

 cheated the senses with its seeming truth. 

 Ordinarily, when viewing a photograph 

 the same height and breadth only, dis- 

 tance and solidity were suggested merely 

 by the arrangemWt of high lights and 

 shadows, but in the stereoscope we experi- 

 enced a sense of relief or solidity, the 

 mind feeling its way into the depth of 

 the picture. The effect was analogous to 

 that produced by listening to a familiar 

 voice through a telephone. We did not 

 hear the speaker's voice, but a mechan- 

 ical reproduction of it, the insti-ument 

 transmitting air waves in all essential 

 respects the same as caiisod by the voice. 

 So in the stereoscope the pictures caused 

 undulations of the luminiferous ether 



which affected our ograns of sight, as 

 the original scene depicted would do, 

 saving, of course, the impressions of 

 movement and colour, the illusion of 

 reality in each case being oerfect. It 

 was known to the ancients that each eye 

 received a distinct impression. Euclid 

 demonstrated this 2,000 years ago by 

 means of geometrica.l figures, but it was 

 not until 1838 that the first stereoscope, 

 an instrument enabling the eyes to unite 

 two di-^simiiar views, was invented by 

 Charles Wheatstone. In his instrument 

 an arrangement of mirrors assisted the 

 eyes in blending the pictures, but shortly 

 pfter his instrument was produced. Sir 

 David Brewster devised one on a totally 

 different principle, that of the refraction 

 of the rays of light by semi-lenses, and 

 this, with certain minor improvements, 

 was the instrument at present used. At 

 first, stereograms were drawn by hand, 

 but with the discovery of the art of 

 photography by Louis Daguerre, in 1838, 

 the geometrical doSiigns were replaced bv 

 photographs. At the exhibition in 1861 

 95 per cent, of the photographic souvenirs 

 were stereoscopic. The beautiful flash- 

 light photograph was the latest deve!oi> 

 ment in the art of stereoscopic photo- 

 graphy. The pictures, which might be 

 of anv size, were taken from different 

 angles, and were printed in complemen- 

 tary colours, and partlv super-imposed, 

 being viewed through colour filters which 

 screened off a]l colours, allowing each eye 

 to see its appropriate nicture only, the 

 brain blending the two impressions. The 

 views exhibited included scenes from 

 England and the Continent, and were re- 

 markablv beautiful; objects standing out 

 in tne foreground with startling reality. 

 This system, observed Mr. Masters, was 

 as yet in its infancy, and would prob- 

 ably solve the problem of projecting 

 stereoscopic views by means of the lime- 

 light lantern. The Kromaz stereoscope, 

 an instiiiment adopting the super-impos- 

 ed print method of three colour photo- 

 graphy, was exhibited for the first time 

 in Hobart, a vase of flowers being denict- 

 ed, standing out in bold relief in natural 

 colours. 



At the conclusion of the addre-s a 

 discussion ensued, in which the Chair- 

 man, Mr. Horatio Yeates, and Mr. Kings- 

 mill took part, after which, on the motion 

 of the Chairman, a hearty vote of thanks 

 was tendered to Messrs. Kingsmill and 

 Masters for their addresses. His Excel- 

 lency warmly complimenting the latter on 

 the able manner in which he had trea^ted 

 his subject. 



The Secretary announced that the last 

 meeting of the season woiild be held on 

 the second Tuesdav in November, when 

 Mr. R. M. Johnston woTild contribute a 

 paper on "The ethical, economical, a.nd 

 practical aspects of old-age pensions," 

 and Dr. Gerard Smith would exhibit 

 some interesting photographs of Egyptian 

 temples. 



