ANNIVEESABT ADDRESS. 31 



August 7. — On Sydney Water Supply by Q-ravitation. By James Manning, 



Esq. 

 September 1. — Appendix to the preceding. 



October 6. — Second paper on Supply by G-ravitation. By James Manning, 



Esq. 

 ITovember 3. — Scientific Notes in America and Europe. By H. 0. Erussell, 



Esq., F.R.A.S. 



December 1. — Supplementary Notice on Deep Sea Soundings. By Kev. W. 

 B. Clarke, M.A., F.a.S. 



In the instance of our last volume, the delay that has unavoid- 

 ably occurred in its publication is to be regretted, as it is an 

 improvement on former volumes, containing the Proceedings of 

 our monthly meetings, and two additional papers — one by our 

 active Secretary, Professor Liversidge, on New South Wales 

 Minerals, of which the title was read 9th December, 1874 ; and 

 another, by Mr. Eussell, our Treasurer, being a summary of the 

 Meteorological Observations of the year. These will supply many 

 extra pages to the work. The cause of delay in the completion 

 of the volume is the accumulation of work in the Printing 

 Office, so that others who share with us the good services of that 

 Office have to wait as well as ourselves. 



There is an evil in delays of the kind, which is unintended and 

 unavoidable. In the present day, first publication of any new 

 fact gives the right of priority as a discovery. By the kindness 

 of the proprietors of the Herald we have been able to prevent 

 any ill effect of the kind arising from irregularity of issue of our 

 Transactions, so far as the authors of papers are concerned ; but 

 the members generally have to wait very long for the volumes 

 after they are ready for the Press, owing altogether to the 

 increased amount of business. This is one of many grounds for 

 the desire expressed by numerous persons that a Copyright Act 

 should be passed through Parliament. As the law now is, there 

 is nothing to prevent any unscrupulous person from pirating the 

 opinions or discoveries of living authors, and by skilful use of 

 their words, whilst omitting all marks of quotation or reference to 

 names J appropriating what is not their own, and altering 



