XX11. ABSTRACT OP PROCEEDINGS. 



Forty-four volumes, 241 parts, 7 reports and 15 pamphlets, 

 total 307, received as donations since the last meeting 

 were laid upon the table and acknowledged. 



The following letter was read : — 



Rosalie, 23rd July, 1905. 

 To the Hon. Secretaries, Royal Society of N.S. Wales, Sydney. 



Dear Sirs,— I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 

 of 15th instant, conveying to us the kind expressions of sympathy 

 expressed by the Eoyal Society of New South Wales, Sydney. I, on 

 behalf of myself and brother, have to request that you will kindly thank 

 them on our behalf for their sympathy with us in our late bereavement. 



Yours faithfully, 



F. W. Gregory. 



THE FOLLOWING PAPER WAS READ I 



" The refractive indices, with other data, of the oils of 118 

 species of Eucalyptus," by Henry G. Smith, p.o.s., 

 Assistant Curator, Technological Museum, Sydney. 

 In this paper the author records the refractive index, the 

 specific gravity, the specific refractive energy and the 

 solubility in alcohol of the oil of each species. The material 

 was distilled at the Museum, and most of it had been pre- 

 pared for the work " Research on the Eucalypts and their 

 Essential Oils," by Mr. R. T. Baker and himself, so that 

 it was of undoubted origin. The oils of those species which 

 have been obtained since that work was published are also 

 included. By working upon the oils of such a large number 

 of species it was possible to arrange the results in some 

 order. The specific refractive energy results cannot be 

 used to any great extent for the purpose of classification, 

 but if the refractive index be multiplied by 10 times the 

 solubility in 70°/° alcohol, (sp. gr. 0*8722 at 15*5° O.) a very 

 good arrangement of the eucalyptol oils can be made. Those 

 oils which contained eucalyptol in excess had, as a rule, 

 the least refractive index, and were the most soluble in 

 alcohol. As the pinene increased in amount the solubility 

 diminished and although the refractive index remained 



