12 Inaugural Address. 



body. It was, in other words, a Scientific Club. At that time, 

 there were no public libraries and scarcely a bookseller's shop in 

 the Colony ; but the members possessed books of their own ; 

 these were catalogued and lent by one to another, so that the 

 use of them was reciprocal. The business of the Society was 

 transacted at the dwelliug-houses of the members in succession, 

 where memoirs, prepared on an alternative of a fine of ten pounds 

 sterling, were read and discussed, the only refreshment allowed 

 being a cup of coffee and a biscuit, an arrangement still in vogue, 

 I believe in England, and which was followed here in later times 

 at the meetings of our Society in 1855-6. 



I have not been able to discover more than four of the papers 

 read by members, and these were preserved as a portion only of 

 the Society's Transactions and edited by Judge Field in his 

 " Geographical Memoirs of New South "Wales by various hands,'' 

 published by John Murray, of Albemarle Street, in the year 1825. 

 These papers were the following : — 



1. " On the Aborigines of New Holland and Yan Diemen's 

 Land," by Baron Field, Esq., read 2nd January, 1822. 



2. " On the Geology of part of the Coast of New South Wales," 

 (from the River Hunter to the Clyde), read in the same year by 

 Alexander Berry, Esq. 



3. " On the Astronomy of the Southern Hemisphere," by Dr. 

 Bumker, read on the 13th March, 1822 ; and 



4. " On the Maritime Geography of Australia," by Captain 

 Philip Parker King, E.N., read 2nd October, 1822. 



In Mr. Field's book, there are also papers by Mr. Oxley, and 

 meteorological notices by Major Goulburn and Sir Thomas 

 Brisbane. We have evideuce, therefore, that at least seven of 

 the twelve were working members. 



Mr. Allan Cunningham, the Botanist (whose death I recollect 

 at the Botanical Gardens shortly after my arrival in 1839), also 

 contributed two papers, the one describing his traverse from 

 Bathurst to Liverpool Plains, in 1823 ; the other, " On the Botany 

 of the Blue Mountains," as observed in November and December, 

 1822. 



As these last papers do not appear to have been read before 

 the Society, it is probable Mr. Cunningham Avas not a member 

 of it. But, without doubt, the actual members did good service 



