Proceedings. xlil 
meeting been complied with, the doubts entertained by the public 
on the Yan Yean water scheme would have been more likely 
removed he believed than will be by the present report. 
The report of the Committee appointed at a meeting held on the 
9th of January last, to investigate the Yan Yean water scheme, was 
read, and the statements illustrated by diagrams, shewing the 
physical character of the country in the neighbourhood of Yan Yean, 
with the tributaries and sources of the River Plenty and various 
measurements. 
Clement Hodgkinson, Esq., read a paper, ‘‘On the Cause of 
the enormous difference between the Ratio of availabie Rainfall in 
the Plenty District as adopted by Dr. Wilkie and that approved by 
the Commission.” 
Dr. Wilkie then read his additional observations on the state- 
ments of the committee, contained in the reports. He enlarged 
upon the committee having taken as an authority the estimate of 
available rainfall of Mr. Dempsey, which is quite inapplicable to 
this case. 
Mr. Acheson, on behalf of the committee, stated that the com- 
mittee was not guided by the calculations of Mr. Dempsey ; but, 
that having arrived to the same result with the above named author, 
this fact corroborated that the committee was correct in this calcu- 
lation.« 
Letters received from the Victorian Institute, having reference 
to the proposal of the Institution to be amalgamated with the 
Philosophical Society, were referred to the consideration of the 
council. 
The Hon. Secretary announced, that at the last meeting of 
the council of the Society, it was proposed to petition the Hon. 
the Legislative Council, requesting that hon. house, in case the 
Government should not continue to maintain the Museum of 
Natural History, to place it under the custody of the Philosophical 
Society, and the society will try to do all they can to keep up that 
only national institute existing. 
The President, in reference to the proposal of the Council, stated, 
that the Legislative Council, having taken the matter under con- 
sideration, this proposal should be deferred until the final decision 
of the House with reference to the maintenance of the Museum of 
Natural History should be known. 
March 27, 1855. 
Sprctat Generat Mesztine. A. K. Smith, Esq., in the Chair, 
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. 
The Chairman, after having stated that the meeting was convened 
in compliance with the resolution passed at a monthly meeting of 
