14 
REPORT OF THE 
The Lectures delivered in the Hall of the Museum have 
been more numerous than usual during the past year. Two 
Lectures, one on Fossils and their teaching, the other on 
Corals, were given by Professor Morris, of University College, 
London; and two by Dr. Cobhold, one on Skeletal forms, the 
other on the more attractive forms of Animal Life. The Rev. 
James Raine, jun., gave an interesting Lecture on the Border 
Counties of England and Scotland; Mr. O’Callaghan, on 
Autographs, illustrating the subject by the exhibition of his 
large collection; Capt. O’Brien on the Currents of the Atmos¬ 
phere ; and Mr. North on the Nervous system in man and 
animals. In the month of December two Lectures were given 
by the Rev. Thomas Myers, on the Planetary and Astral 
Systems of the Heavens. An abstract of the papers read at 
the Monthly Meetings of the Society will be annexed to the 
Report. 
The Curator of Meteorological instruments reports that the 
range of the mercurial column for 1858 was 1*74 in., that of the 
temperature 68°. The mean temperature was 46~° or of a 
degree lower than a mean of twenty years. August and 
September, the harvest months, were above a mean. The rain 
of 1858 was 3‘79 in. below a mean of twenty years : 1*75 below 
a mean of the last ten years: P69 below a mean of the last 
five years. From the 12th of February to the 13th of March, 
both inclusive, the thermometer was at or below freezing point 
every night, 30 in regular succession. Thunder and lightning 
occurred three times in April; three times in May ; four times 
in June, and once in August, viz. the 12th. A display of 
Aurora was seen on the evening of the ninth of April. 
The table of the Rainfall of 1857, which was received too 
late to be inserted in the Report of that year, is here given, 
along with the corresponding table for 1858. 
