for the year 1872. lix 



tion, and to the approaching elections of council and office- 

 bearers, which took place at our next meeting, on March 11. 

 In April, Mr. Harrison read a paper " On Patents and their 

 Utilisation." Mr. Caldwell contributed one on " Meat- 

 preserving," and Mr. P. F. Ford on "Biangular Co-ordinates." 

 On May 13, Mr. F. Poolman read a description of his "Self- 

 acting Safety Regulator and Coal Economiser for Steam 

 engines," and Mr. A. K. Smith exhibited and described " An 

 Improved Valve for the Fire Plugs in Water Pipes," the 

 object being to prevent the entry of sewage water into the 

 pipes when the pressure was off — a thing that might occur 

 with the ordinary fire-plug valves. At our last meeting, on 

 June 10, Mr. MacGeorge contributed the " Results of 

 Observations on Sirius and its Companions " with the great 

 Melbourne telescope. Mr. White exhibited some new five- 

 figure logarithm cards which he had arranged, and Mr. 

 Gibbons read a few " Notes on M. Berthelot's Analysis of 

 the Cranbourne Meteorite." 



Perhaps the most noteworthy fact in connexion with the 

 past year's history of the Society is the organisation of an 

 expedition for observing the total eclipse of December ] 2, 

 J 871, near Cape York, and, although tlie expedition met 

 with a total disappointment of its main object through 

 cloudy weather, the effort made cannot but redound to the 

 honour of the Australian colonies. It will be unnecessary 

 for me to recapitulate every step of the organisation of this 

 expedition, it will suffice to briefly refer to the leading facts- 

 Professor Wilson in May, 1871, first directed the attention 

 of the Society to the occurrence of a total eclipse over North 

 Australia in December, and suggested that an endeavour 

 should be made by the Society to organise an expedition for 

 observing it. Government aid was asked, and liberally 

 gi'anted, not only by our owji colony, but by New South 

 Wales, Queensland, and South Australia. On November 22 



