xviii President's Address 



and is being done. The hearty co-operation of the astron- 

 omers and meteorologists, as well as of the telegraphic 

 departments, of New South Wales and South Australia has 

 been secured, and weather telegrams in cypher are ex- 

 changed daily from ten to twelve a.m. between Adelaide 

 Melbourne, and Sydney. These telegrams are utilised in a 

 different way at each place ; for while in Sydney they are 

 used for constructing a weather chart, in Melbourne a 

 weather bulletin is lithographed at the Observatory, which, 

 as a rule, is posted at various places about Melbourne before 

 one p.m., and gives a synopsis of the state of the weather 

 and sea at nine a.m. along our coast-line from Cape Borda 

 to Cape Howe, and north as far as Brisbane, as well as a 

 general idea of the weather in the settled interior of Aus- 

 tralia. Afternoon telegrams are also received from a certain 

 number of stations, from which a synopsis is deduced and 

 published in the morning papers. I think there can scarcely 

 be two opinions as to the utility of this method as com- 

 pared to the partial and somewhat indiscriminate meteor- 

 ological reports hitherto issued, and I have reason to believe 

 that a large portion of the public already appreciate the 

 value of the innovation. 



Concerning Botanical Science, which is so ably represented 

 in this colony by our eminent fellow-member. Baron Von 

 Mueller, I have also a few words to say. The investigations 

 and labours of our Government Botanist have made con- 

 siderable progress, and during the last year or two he has 

 very largely increased the literature of the science, more 

 especially with respect to Australia, by the publication of 

 several important works, and by the continuance of his serials 

 on Australian plants. The Phytographia Australis has now 

 nearly reached the completion of its tenth volume, and it 

 must be a matter for regret to most Australian students of 

 botany that this valuable work was not written in the 



