PROCEEDINGS. 285 



has previously been delineated in the Royal Society's Proceedings 

 supply all necessary detail for the construction of similar machines; 

 the point to be remembered being that any observation by which 

 it is shown that a lighter machine of less area is propelled farther 

 in a calm by the same power, will tend to advance this branch of 



Engineering. 



WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1887. 



Christopher Rolleston, C.M.G., Vice-President in the Chair. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. 



The certificates of two new candidates were read for the second 

 time, and of two for the first time. 



The ballot for the election of the candidate whose certificate had 

 been read for the third time, was postponed to the next General 

 Meeting in consequence of a quorum not being present. 



It was resolved that Messrs. H. 0. Walker and John F. Mann 

 be appointed Auditors for the present year. 



The following papers were read :— 



1. " On some New South Wales Tan-substances," Part 4, by 



Mr. J. H. Maiden, F.R.G.S. 



2. " On Autographic Instruments used in the Development 



of Flying Machines," by Mr. Lawrence Hargrave. 



Mr. H. C. Russell, B.A., F.R.S., Government Astronomer, 

 exhibited a French vitrified photograph of a star cluster, and Mr. 

 A. A. Common's photograph of nebula in " Orion ;" he remarked 

 as follows : — " One of the most remarkable things to be seen at 

 the conference of Astronomers in Paris, was the result already 

 attained by those remarkable men the Brothers Henri, who have 

 with their own hands made the telescope and taken the star 

 photographs which are so remarkable. They do not however, by 

 any means consider their work accomplished. A photograph on 

 a gelatine film is a very perishable article ; under many conditions 

 to which they are subject the film peals off the glass, and now Dr. 

 Gould's great difficulty is to preserve the films of his valuable- 

 photos taken only a few years since. To avoid this fatal objection 

 to stellar photos the Henri's have done and are still doing every- 

 thing possible to make the photographs permanent. At the 



