138 HENRY A. HUNT, 



AN ESSAY ON SOUTHERLY BURSTERS. 

 By Henry A. Hunt. 



Second Meteorological Assistant, Sydney Observatory. 

 [With Plates V.-VIII. and Five Diagrams.] 



Awarded the Prize of £25 offered by the Hon. Ralph Abercromby, for the best 

 Essay on Southerly Bursters, 2 May, 1894. 



ORIGIN OF THE PRIZE. 



In December 1892, the Honorable Ralph Abercromby gave to 

 the Royal Society a sum of £100 to promote the study of Austra- 

 lasian Meteorology by offering prizes for essays upon particular 

 phases of weather, and in rewards for special investigations, 

 suggesting that the subject of the first essay should be " The 

 Southerly Burster." The foundation of this Prize Fund was 

 announced at the general meeting of the Royal Society at the 

 December 1892 meeting. Subsequently the Council appointed a 

 Committee consisting of the Hon. R. Abercromby, Professor 

 Liversidge (Chemistry), Professor David (Geology and Physical 

 Geography), and H. C. Russell, Government Astronomer. 



The Committee met to determine the conditions for the compe- 

 tition and advertised these freely in Melbourne and Sydney, and 

 by correspondence with various kindred Societies in Europe and 

 America, and a note appeared in Nature about it ; one of the 

 conditions was that the competition was open to all. It was 

 advertised in March 1893, and the last day for receiving essays 

 was 31st March, 1894. 



The contents of this essay may be briefly summarized as follows: 

 It begins with a short note on bursters past and present, and 

 weather indicating their approach. Deals with the burster in 

 other colonies, shows that it is intensified in New South Wales 

 by geographical features. Is sometimes caused by monsoonal 

 depressions. Traces the changes in isobars with various kinds of 



