for the year 1868. 5 



to an apparatus I had devised arid erected at the Observa- 

 tory, for the purpose of obtaining a continuous record by 

 the help of photography, of the force and variations of atmo- 

 spheric electricity. Specimens of the photographic curves it 

 produced were also exhibited. You will be glad to hear that 

 after experience of its performance, we have every reason to 

 consider it a most useful addition to the meteorological 

 appliances of the Observatory. 



Some valuable contributions, bearing on the development 

 of our natural resources, were read at the April, May, and 

 October meetings, the first of which is " On the Manufac- 

 ture of Paper from Native Plants," by Mr. Newbery, in 

 which he drew our attention to the importance to be at- 

 tached to the discovery of raw material suited to paper mak- 

 ing, and pointed out that we had several indigenous plants 

 fitted for this purpose growing in considerable profusion on 

 our waste lands ; he especially called attention to two grasses, 

 the Xerotes Longifolio and a variety of Lepidosperrma, the 

 fibre of both of which he believed would be of great value 

 for making common paper, and for mixing with rags for 

 white paper. Mr. ISTewbery's valuable suggestion will, no 

 doubt, be practically tested so soon as the new paper mills 

 on the Yarra commence operations. 



The second communication of this class was a paper " On 

 Colonial Wines," by the Rev. Dr. Bleasdale. This placed 

 before you a large amount of practical information respecting 

 our vineyards and the wines produced from them. He gave 

 the results of his chemical inquiries into several samples, 

 and indicated the conditions on which he considered the 

 success of Australian wine-making to depend. 



Mr. Newbery's paper " On the Analysis of our Mineral 

 Waters," forms another contribution bearing on our 

 natural resources. The writer gives the analyses he has 

 made of the waters from several of our quartz mines remark- 



