Proceedings, novembee. xxxiii 



NOVEMBER, 1889. 



The last meeting of the Royal Society for the present session was 

 held at the Tasmanian Museum on Monday evening, November 18, 

 18S9. There was a large attendance of Fellows and several ladies, 

 and His Excellency the Governor (President) presided. 



ELECTION OP FELLOWS. 



Bishop Montgomery and Mr. J. H. Innes were elected Fellows, and 

 Drs. Schewiakoff and Lanterbach and Mr, F. D. Power were elected 

 correspond'ug members. The President, in declaring the results of the 

 liiallot, said he was sure they would all sympathise deeply with the 

 Bishop in the trouble with which his family were afflicted, and had it 

 not been for that he had no doubt they would have had him present with 

 them that evening. 



SOCIAL"" AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston, F. L.S., read copious extracts from a very able 

 paper, which he had prepared, entitled "Root Matters in Social and 

 Economic Problems." When he had concluded, the Prfsident said 

 such a paper required the most careful study and thought before 

 anyone should speak upon it, but he hoped next session they would 

 have certain points in the paper discussed, which he was sure would 

 raise issues of the greatest interest. The reading of the paper was re- 

 ceived with loud applause. 



THE pounding OF HOBART. 



Mr. J. B. Walker read a paper entitled " The Founding of Hobart." 

 This was a further contribution to the series of articles by that gentleman 

 upon the early history of the colony, based upon original official 

 documents preserved in the English State Record Office, and recently 

 copied by Mr. Bonwick for the Tasmanian Government. A former 

 papsr had given the history of Lieutenant-Governor Collins' expedition 

 in 1803 down to his abandonment of Port Phillip as unsuited for 

 settlement. The present paper took up the story from the sailing of 

 the first detachment from Port Phillip in the ships Ocean and Lady 

 Nelson for the Derwent. The ships arrived on February 15, 1804, 

 and Collins, being dissatisfied with Risdon, chose Sullivan's Cove as a 

 better locality, and on February 20 pitched his tents on the site of 

 Hobart. The landing place was Hunter's Island, now part of the Old 

 Wharf, but then an island connected by a sandbank with the mouth of 

 the rreek, which at that time fell into the river at the Fishermen's Dock. 

 A dense scrub bordered the creek, along the barks of which grew gum- 

 trees of the largest size. The camp was pitched on the slope between 

 the creek and the cove, and extended up towards the present site 

 of the Cathedral. The description was illustrated by a very beauti- 

 fully executed plan by Mr. A. Mault, showing the alterations made 

 by subsequent filling in of the harbour. Governor Collins' despatches 

 and general orders, and the diary of Mr. Knopwood, the chaplain, 

 supplied the materials for an interesting account of the progress of 

 settlement during the first months, the clearing of the ground now 

 forming the centre of the city, the building of the first Government 

 House— a wooden cottage on the site of the Town Hall — the location 

 of the settlers at New Town Bay, the formation of a Government 

 farm at Cornelian Bay, and the building of huts of " wattle and dab " 

 for the prisoners. The prices of labour were fixed at 3s. 6d. per day 

 for mechanics, and 2s. 6d. for labourers. Workmen were paid in 

 provisions, too often in rum, and the only currency was small pro* 



