MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES. 343 
collector. The subject almost exclusively dealt with in the notes 
was the religious belief of the aborigines in the southern part of 
New Holland. The god of their belief was Boyma, who, they said, 
dwelt at an immense distance to the north-east, in a heaven of 
beautiful and supernatural appearance. ‘Their belief also included 
the existence of a son of Boyma, equal to his father in omniscience, 
and but slightly inferior to him in any attribute. There was a 
third person in their creed who was of semi-divine origin, and who 
was the great law-giver to the human race. There was a place ot 
everlasting fire for evil men, and a heaven for the good, who in- 
herited eternal happiness. The dread of eternal punishment acted 
forcibly as a restriction on their conduct in life. From all the joys 
of heaven, however, the women of the tribes were restricted. The 
men had an imperfect consciousness that there was a future world 
for the women, but it was not that of the heaven good men went 
to. (fhe women were entirely ignorant of the secrets of the relt- 
gion, and were regarded as inferior beings. After death the souls 
of men rose, and were taken before the throne of Boyma, where 
they discarded all that was mortal. Judgment was pronounced 
by the god, and, as the sentence was declared, they were removed 
to heaven or hell. The only prayer used was one on the occasion 
of the interment of the dead. Many other interesting particulars - 
of the religion were given, the conclusion drawn being that the abo- 
rigines had not been without a high sense of the Supreme God- 
head, and of a moral conception of what was right and wrong. A 
discussion followed on the paper, some of the speakers being of 
opinion that the natives had been communicated with by mission- 
aries, and that this was the outcome of the ideas they had gleaned. 
Others thought trom personal experience that Mr. Manning’s notes 
contained a strong foundation of fact. 
Sydney, 6th Dec., 1882.—C. Rolleston Esq., C.M.G., President, 
in the chair. 
New Members.--Mr. James J. O. Atkinson, J.P., Dr. Thomas 
Chambers; Rev. John G. Fraser, M.A., Dr. A. Norrie, and Mr. 
Surgeon J. Steel. 
Papers.—1. ‘“‘On the ashes of some Epiphytic Orchids,” by 
Dr. W. A. Dixson. 
2. ‘On a Fossil Plant formation in Central Queensland,” by 
the Rev. J. E. Tenison- Woods. 
Mr. C. S. Wilkinson, Government Geologist, exhibited a num- 
ber of coral formations which had been collected for him by Mr. 
Barling, of the Harbour and Rivers Department, on his visit to the 
Elizabeth Reef, Lord Howe Island, for the purpose of seeing that 
the provisioned lifeboat kept there in the event of shipwreck was 
secure. He had submitted them to the Rev. Mr. Tenison- Woods 
for his inspection, and that gentleman had made some notes on 
them. 
The Rev. Mr. Tenison- Woods said that the corals were all of 
reef-building tormation, such as were never found out of tropical 
or very warm seas, and as Lord Howe Island was some 300 miles 
to the south of any place where such corals were known to be 
formed on the Australian Coast, there must be some peculiar con- 
dition of temperature in that locality to account for their occur- 
