xvu 



protection of the fur seal in Bass Straits and Maequarie Island, and 

 saw that the Government of Tasmania had unfortunately decided 

 Mat there should be no close season for these animals. 



Bishop Montgomery was sorry that the Government should have 

 arrived at such a conclusion, for unquestionably if there were no close 

 season there would not be a seal left in two years time. On the score of 

 immunity and for the preservation of the sealing trade, some protection 

 was necessary. The islanders were in favour of a close season of about 

 1U weeks_ He moved,—" That the following be a deputation to wait on 

 the Unef Secretary re the protection of the fur seal :— Sir J W 

 -aguew ; Messrs. 0. H. Grant, M. Seal, A. G. Webster, Curzon 

 Aliport, and the mover." 



Mr. F, J. Salieb seconded, and the motion was agreed to, 



OBTHOGRAPHY OF GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES. 



Mr. T. Stephens drew attention to a circular which the Govern- 

 ment had received from the Koyal Geographical Society of England 

 on the orthography of geographical names. The circular advojated 

 the adoption of a system of orthography for place names which would 

 be simple enough for any educated ptrson to master with the minimum 

 W trouble, and which would at the same time afford an approximation 

 to the sound of a place-name such as a native might recognise. No 

 attempt would be made to change names which had acquired an 

 established standing, but it was considered that in new names it 

 Wou.d be better for the appearance of the words to give some idea of 

 the pronunciation. As far as Tasmania was concerned, very little 

 attempt had been made in the early days to preserve the native 

 names, and the few there were seemed to have been selected at 

 haphazard from a vocabulary without reference to their suitability to 

 the places to which they were applied. He believed, however, that 

 the^ Lands Department had taken some pains to make a collection of 

 dative names which would be applied to new places which might arise. 

 He thought it would be as well for the Society to assist in every 

 possible manner the object of the Royal Geographical Society, and 

 moved,— " That a committee be appointed to consider and report on 

 the circular issued by the Royal Geographical Society of England as 

 tollows :— Sir J. W. Agnew ; Messrs. J. B. Walker, C. H. Grant, 

 ■Bernard Shaw, and the mover, with power to add to their number." 

 Mr. B. Shaw seconded, and the motion was agreed to. 



VOYAGES TO PAPUA. 



Mr. J. R. McClymont, M.A., read a paper on "Early voyages to 

 i'apua, loll to 1545," which he illustrated by references to a map of 

 the world and other charts. Ihe paper treated the subject ex- 

 haustively, and was closely listened to, 



Owing to the lateness of the hour, Mr. Robert Henry's paper on 

 a new method of dropping the time ball was postponed till the next 

 meeting of the Society. 



The Chairman having briefly th inked Mr. McClymont for his paper 

 and gentlemen for their remarks, the meeting closed. 



B 



