CURRENT PAPERS. 145 



may be applied to the whole volume, in lieu of multiplying each 

 terminal and mid-section by its own correction factor, this will 

 lead only to small errors, especially if the areas of those sections 

 are approximately equal ; and similarly if those areas, i.e., A and 

 A-l etc., are sensibly equal, the same proceeding may be followed 

 even if x and x x differ greatly. By attention to matters of this 

 kind the practical computer is often able greatly to abbreviate the 

 process involved in rigorous formulae, without introducing appre- 

 ciable error, or vitiating the precision of the practical result. 



CURRENT PAPERS, No. 4. 



By H. C. Russell, b.a., c.m.g., f.r.s. 



[With Plates V., VI.] 



[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, October 4, 1899."} 



In a paper which I read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales 

 in 1896 on this subject, I called attention to the fact that during 

 the prevalence of strong north-west winds over the Indian Ocean 

 and the main land of Australia, the arrival of current papers in 

 the Australian Bight almost ceased, and I expressed the opinion 

 that the north-west wind altered the direction of the drifting 

 bottles, so that they passed to the south of Australia, Tasmania, 

 and New Zealand, instead of landing on Australia. Now I have 

 to report in the absence of north-west winds and the prevalence of 

 southerly winds, which has been marked during the year, current 

 papers have come in unusually fast ; often two per day, and on 

 two occasions three have arrived in each day, and I have found it 

 necessary to publish this list of one hundred and twenty-four 

 current papers, after an interval from list No. 3 of twelve 

 months ; the intervals between the earlier lists being two 

 years'. 



J— Oct. 4, 1899. 



