xliv 



being that the placing of the names is due 

 to a misreading of M. Polo, who describes 

 under somewhat similar names parts of 

 Cambodia and the Malay Peninsula. Then 

 we have the remainder of the Southern 

 Ocean up to nearly lat. 40deg. S. filled up 

 with a wholly imaginary continent called 

 " Terra Australis Nondum Cognita," with 

 imaginary capes and promontories, such as 

 " Regio Psittacorum," the Land of Parrots, 

 and so forth ; while figuies of strange and 

 fearful monsters occupy the blank spaces 

 of the ocean. Mr. Walker said that he 

 had so far dealt with the mythical period 

 of the cartography, but he hoped in a 

 future paper to deal with tlie scientific 

 period and show the gradual development 

 of the coast line of New Holland. 



Mr. T. Stephens, M.A., F.G.S., read 

 the following interesting extract from 

 a Port Phillip newspaper, the Albion, 

 December 23, 1847: —."That justice, 

 which Australia Felix has year after 

 year petitioned for and demanded, 

 has at length been conceded to her. 

 On the 1st day of January, 1849, a day 

 which will ever be commemorated by 

 a jubilee, the chains which have long 

 bound her in slavery to a tyrannical 

 Government will be snapped asunder by 

 an edict of the British Parliament. . . ", 

 A Bill declaring the erection of this 

 province into a free and independent 

 colony was prepared and ready for intro- 

 duction on the assembling of Parliament 

 in August last. . . . The Colonial 

 Minister, as if to sweeten the cup of 



liberty vvhich he has prepared for us, and 

 efface as much as possible all recollection 

 of our bondage, has, by the Bill which 

 provides for our manumission, bestowed 

 upon this land the name of Victoria." 



Mr. R. M. Johnston, F.L.S., gave a very 

 interesting account of Macquarie Harbour 

 meteorology and tides, 1825-6, being a 

 summary of meteorological observations 

 taken at Macquarie Harbour settlement, 

 and of observations of the tides at Macquarie 

 Harbour Heads during 12 months ending on 

 January .31, 1826. Mi\ .Johnston said that 

 these records were obtained from London 

 by Mr. J. W. Beattie, being the original 

 MS. records carefully prepared by Jas. 

 Spence, Col. Assist. Surgeon. 



Mr. Alex. Morton drew attention 

 to an old interesting copper medallion 

 that had been presented by the great 

 navigator. Captain Cook, to one of the 

 chiefs at the Society Islands. On the 

 obverse side was the head of George III. ; 

 on the reverse are the two ships Adven- 

 ture and Resolution, with the following 

 inscription : — "Sailed from England March, 

 1772." This medal had been presented to the 

 society by the Hon. Thos. Reibey, M.E.C. 

 October 27, 1875, who stated that it had 

 been obtained by his (Mr. Reibey's) grand- 

 father, who commanded the brig Mercury, 

 and traded through the islands in the early 

 part of the present century. 



The membei's at the close of the papers 

 inspected the sevei'al interesting exhibits. 



