xviii President's Address 



Mr. David Ross, of Elsternwick, discovered on the 12th 

 an object which he thought was this body, and reported it 

 to the Observatory, where it was soon found to be another, 

 but very small comet, which we called Ross' comet. Its 

 apparition was of short duration, and it was never visible in 

 the northern hemisphere. On 25th September next year 

 there will be a total eclipse of the sun, the central line of 

 which passes over New Zealand just about Cook's Straits, 

 and this is the only land on which it will be visible as a total 

 eclipse. The duration of totality will, however, be small — 

 about two minute's and a half only. It nevertheless affords 

 for a few precious moments a view of the circum- solar 

 regions divested of its usual dazzling light, which will be of 

 inestimable value to astronomers, and which they are 

 content to travel half around the world to secure, for adding 

 further to our knowledge of the solar surface and surround- 

 ings, and to search for any planetary bodies that may exist 

 within the orbit of Mercury. It is not unlikely our Obser- 

 vatory will send a small observing party to Wellington, or 

 to the neighbourhood of Cook's Straits, to undertake some 

 part of the requisite physical observations ; and although I 

 have yet heard of no European or American party being 

 organised for observing the phenomenon, there is little doubt 

 that several astronomers will visit New Zealand on this 

 occasion. 



EARTHQUAKES AND EARTH TREMORS IN TASMANIA. 



The remarkable prevalence of earthquakes and earth 

 tremors in Tasmania, Bass's Straits, and the south-eastern 

 portion of Australia during the last twelve or fifteen months- 

 affords a subject of considerable scientific interest. Fortu- 

 nately, none of the disturbances, so far, have been of sufficient 

 intensity to do much damage, although a few, and notably 

 one of 13th July, were sufficiently severe to cause consider- 

 able alarm. The tremors and shakes have been experi- 

 enced chiefly in the north-east districts, but to some extent 

 generally over Tasmania, since July, 1883. It was not 



