616 



which became transmuted into the Royal Society by the 

 simple device of changing its name and some of its laws, but 

 which has otherwise led a continuous and unbroken existence 

 for seventy years. There were, however, earlier organizations, 

 more or less related to our predecessor in their objects and 

 personnel, which may in a sense be regarded as end-products 

 of their period. These were all ephemeral. They appeared 

 upon their little stage, fulfilled in varying degree a useful 

 purpose, then vanished into the limbo of history. They are 

 even now, after a comparatively brief lapse of time, a little 

 difficult to unearth ; and when the preliminary spade-work is 

 done, their aliases and their fusions and their recrudescences 

 make identification in some instances rather perplexing. 



2. Early Organizations and Precursors of the Adelaide 

 Philosophical Society. 



Not the least important of these precursors of the Philo- 

 sophical Society was the South Australian Literary and 

 Scientific Association, founded in London in August, 1834, 

 just a fortnight after the Bill for the Establishment of the 

 Colony had received Royal assent. 



Owing to the good offices of Mr. Thomas Gill, we have in 

 the Archives of the Public Library the first minute book of this 

 Association. Among the signatories to the form of obligation 

 the following names are of special interest: — Dr. John Brown, 

 Thomas Gilbert, Robert Gouger, R. D. Hanson, G. S. King- 

 ston, Osmond Gilles, Daniel Wakefield, John Morphett, J. 

 W.( Childers, Raikes Currie, C. G. Everard, R. Torrens, J. 

 Hindmarsh, Chas. Mann, B. T. Finniss, and others. Some 

 of these men subsequently became active members of the 

 Philosophical Society. 



The objects of the Association were : "The Cultivation 

 and diffusion of useful knowledge throughout the Colony"; 

 and as a means to this end, one of their earliest acts was the 

 acquisition of a small but excellent library, containing books 

 of travel and reference, likely to be of special service to a 

 young community. 



Sir Charles S. Napier, the hero of Scinde, was elected as 

 President, and for more than a year numerous meetings were 

 held at short intervals in London. Some of these were of a 

 conversational character ; at others addresses were delivered on 

 scientific subjects, such as the geology and anthropology of 

 Australia. In December, 1835, just prior to embarkation for 

 the new Province, a committee was appointed for the ensuing 

 year and the records abruptly ceased. The library was packed 

 in the same chest as the Royal Charter, and ultimately arrived 



