QUEENSLAND 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
The Queensland Philosophical Society held 
its ordinary monthly meeting (January 5th) in 
the Municipal Chambers. Charles Coxen, Esq., 
M.L. A., Vice President of the Society, occupied 
the chair, in the absence of his Honour the Chief 
Justice, who is on circuit at Ipswich: When 
a portion of the business had been transacted, 
Mr. Coxen vacated the chair, owing to his 
presence being required at another meeting, 
and Mr. Rawnsley occupied the chair till the 
close of the meeting. 
The minutes were read by Mr. Higgles, in 
the place of Rev. John Bliss,- Secretary, who 
was from home, and were confirmed. 
Mr. Rawnsley proposed, seconded by Mr. 
Higgles, that the Secretary be instructed to 
convey the thanks of the meeting to his 
Worship the Mayor, for the use of the Council 
Chambers to hold the monthly meetings. 
In the absence of Mr. Coxen, Mr. Higgles 
brought forward the question of the change of 
evening on which the society should hold its 
meetings. After a somewhat lengthened conver- 
sation on the subject, it was resolved to postpone 
the settlement of it till the attendance of the 
President and certain other members, whose 
arrangements might be affected by the pro- 
posed alteration. • ' 
Mr. Diggles proposed that Mr. Gordon 
Sandeman, and Mr. Le Gould proposed that 
Mr. Andrew John Baden Jenner, should be 
balloted for next meeting of the society. 
Mr. Macdonnell asked the President 
whether the collections in the society’s tem- 
porary museum were in good condition, and 
whether any steps had been taken in regard to 
the buildings on the site granted to the society 
for their use ? 
The Chairman (Mr. Rawnsley) stated that 
nothing had as yet been done in that matter, as 
trustees had not yet been appointed — a defect 
which he hoped would soon be removed. 
Mr. Higgles and Mr Bartley both ex- 
pressed their belief that the society’s specimens 
in the Windmill Tower are in excellent state of 
preservation. 
The question of the trusteeship was taken up 
by the meeting, and fully discussed. It was 
ultimately proposed by Mr. Macdonnell, and 
seconded by Mr. Le Gould, that the President, 
the secretary, and Mr. Wight be appointed 
a committee to wait on the Minister for Lands 
and Works, to confer on the question of the 
trustees, and report to next meeting. 
Several specimens of gold and of silver were 
placed on the table, for the examination of the 
members. The specimen of silver, and one of 
gold, were from Mr. Gordon Sandeman ; the 
others were from Mr. MacHonnell, among which 
was that large nugget, fully described in the 
Guardian yesterday, and at present on view at 
Mr. MacDonneU’s (Flavelle Brothers) Queen-, 
street. 
Mr. Le Gould who had prepared a paper 
on the Geology of the Colony, handsomely 
postponed the reading of it in favour of the 
following valuable paper by Mr. Bartley : — 
Comparative Meteorology. 
The science of meteorology has only of late 
years received that amount of attention and 
study requisite to make it useful as well as in- 
teresting. It is as yet, however, only in its 
infancy ; and in order to form an idea of its 
real importance, we must exercise the imagina- 
tion a little, and endeavour to picture to our- 
selves what the result would now be if, during 
the last hundred years, every portion of the 
earth had had its meteorological peculiarities 
carefully noted, recorded, and compared with 
those of other parts. What a sum total of 
