Proceedings, <kc, for 1882. 305 



Mr. Ellery mentioned that these plates had been drawn on stone 

 by Dr. MacGillivray himself, and that the Society was very much, 

 indebted to that gentleman for the great care with which he had pre- 

 pared them. 



Mr. Ellery then read a paper by Captain Barker, of the ship 

 " Sobraon," on " The Cyclones of the Southern Hemisphere. ' After 

 the paper was concluded, Mr. Ellery said — We generally get two 

 days' warning of the approach of these storms — that is, if they move 

 in a true course. But they do not always move in the curve which 

 theory assigns to them, owing, I suppose, to the intervention of 

 causes hitherto unknown to us. By electric telegraph from Western 

 Australia we are warned under ordinary circumstances two clear days 

 before they reach us. So far as I am aware, this paper is one of the 

 first attempts to give a definite account of the cyclones of southern 

 latitudes. 



Mr. Kernot. — Is it yet definitely established how these cyclones 

 originate ? 



Mr. Ellery. — The temperature of the air is undoubtedly the primary 

 cause, but the friction of the earth has much to do with their force 

 and direction. We may take it as an ascertained fact that cyclones, 

 wherever they may be, are always attended with anticyclones. 



Captain Barker. — The duration of these storms varies from a few 

 hours to a couple of weeks. Their diameter often exceeds 600 

 miles. 



Mr. Kernot then read a paper by Captain Griffiths, on a " Proposal 

 for the Propulsion of Steamers Without the Intervention of 

 Machinery." He observed that the method proposed had no 

 advantage over the present system, either in cheapness or in the 

 actual speed attained. 



Several members related the attempts already made by engineers 

 and scientific men to attain this object. 



August 10th 9 1882. 

 The President in the chair — Present, 15 members and associates. 



Mr. John Wall was elected a member. Mr. J. P. Wilson, M.A., 

 was elected an associate. 



Mr. H. Cornell, a new member, was introduced to the meeting, 

 and signed the members' book. 



Mr. Ellery then read a paper, i( A Physical Description of the 

 Island of Tasmania," by the Rev. J. E. Tenison- Woods. 



In connection with this paper, Mr. Ellery gave a description of a 

 remarkable mimosa scrub found in Tasmania. This grows on 



W 



