xiv President's Address 



1500 years before its time. It has been suggested by Dr. 

 Gould, of South America, in a letter I have lately received 

 from him, that more than one comet may occupy the same 

 orbit. Such an hypothesis is certainly, in some measure, 

 supported by the experience of the last few years, and fits 

 into the fact that some comets and meteor swarms occupy 

 the same orbit. 



We shall soon have to prepare for the transit of Yenus in 

 1882 ; an opportunity will be furnished to observers for 

 gaining fresh experience in the characteristics of such a 

 phenomenon by the transit of Mercury across the sun's disc, 

 which will take place on the 8th of November next. The 

 transit of Yenus will take place on 7th December, 1882, 

 but the principal part of the phenomenon will be over 

 before the sun rises in Australia, and the last phases only 

 will be visible here immediately after sunrise. For the 

 observation of the transit of 1882, therefore, Australia is 

 not in so favourable a position as it was for the transit of 

 1874. 



Two or three years ago the astronomers and meteorologists 

 of several of the colonies met together in conference at 

 S3^dney, during the time of the Exhibition there, with the 

 view of bringing about more complete co-operation in the 

 study of Australian meteorology, and the interchange of 

 weather information for the benefit of the community 

 generally, and the result was highly satisfactory. A second 

 conference was held at our Observatory in April last, at 

 which some very important conclusions were arrived at, 

 among which was the desirability of adopting in Australia 

 a system of weather telegraphy and forecast similar to that 

 which has been found so valuable in the Northern Hemi- 

 sphere, concerning which I have a few words to say pres- 

 ently. 



The Government botanist, our talented fellow-member, 

 Baron von Mueller, has been busy with his phytographical 

 and allied work, and has] during the year contributed im- 



