XXXV111. ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. 



(2) The death of Captain F. W. Hutton, f.r.s., Curator, 

 Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand, elected 

 Honorary Member 1888, Clarke Medallist 1891. 



Professor Liversidge submitted an obituary notice of 

 the deceased gentleman, and afterwards moved the follow- 

 ing resolution, which was seconded by His Honor Judge 

 Docker and carried unanimously : — 



(a) "The members of the Royal Society of New South 

 Wales learn with the deepest regret of the death 

 of Captain Hutton, f.r.s., one of its Honorary 

 Members, and they hereby place on record their 

 high appreciation of Captain Hutton's great and 

 life long services for the advancement of science." 



(b) "That the above resolution be forwarded to the 



late Captain Hutton's family with an expression 

 of this Society's deep sympathy with them in their 

 bereavement." 



Twenty-two volumes, 131 parts, 56 reports, 12 pamphlets 

 and 8 maps, total 229, received as donations since the last 

 meeting, were laid upon the table and acknowledged. 



the following papers were read : 



1. "A method of separating the clay and sand in clay soils 

 and those rich in organic matter," by L. Cohen, 

 Chemical Laboratory, Department of Agriculture. 

 (Communicated by F. B. Guthrie, f.i.c, f.c.s.) 



The methods usually adopted for separating sand and clay 

 in the analyses of soils involve boiling with water, with 

 dilute alkali, pestling etc., before elutriation. These 

 processes have with certain classes of soils produced un- 

 satisfactory results. The deficiencies of these methods are 

 more apparent in humus and clay soils, owing to the 

 cohesive power of the organic matter present, the vegetable 

 fibre (cellulose) exerting a binding effect on clay particles 



