Bowwd (939 HARVARD UNIVERSITY as LIBRARY OF THE nV Eft | i i ty ila MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY 6387 VEE CHANGE ROCEEDINGS 5 t ging 7 a] % Bo Gree i t ty ° AS ; ie? ae Foie £7 2G, Pp a _° oe Ratton | ‘Bis Majesty the Bing. si eee abs SEER ea) } BROTHER LIMITED, MACQUARIE STREET ADS.) Saat) THE PROCEEDINGS ee) SCLIETY e 13) LASMEAIN TA: (1906-1907,) Patron : Wohart : PRINTED BY DAVIES BROTHERS LIMITED, MACQUARIE STREET, 1908. Royal Society of Fasmania. moors President: HIS EXCELLENCY THRE GOVERNOR. Members of Council Royal Society in order of seniority: ELECTED 1863—Mr. T. STEPHENS, M.A., F.G.S. * 1871--Mr. A. G. WEBSTER. * 1878—Mr. RUSSELL YOUNG. 1886—Mr. R. M. JOHNSTON, LS.O, F.L.S. * 1889—Con. W. V. LEGGE, B.A., F.GS. * 1894—Mr. BERNARD SHAW, LS.O. 1901—Hon. Dr. BUTLER, M.L.C. 1902—Ricut Rev. Dr. MERCER, BISHOP OF TASMANTA. 1903—Mr. G. E. BRETTINGHAM MOORE, M.H#.A. 1904—Hon. SIR ELLIOTT LEWIS, K.C.M.G. 1905—Dr. GREGORY SPROTY. 1907—Dr. J. S. C. ELKINGTON. * Vice Presidents. Order of Retirement from Council Messrs. G. E. MOORE, T. STEPHENS, BERNARD SHAW, and GREGORY SPROTT, 1908. » Cot, LEGGE, Dr MERCER, Dz. BUTLER an Dr. ELKINGTON, 1909. a A. G. WEBSTER, RUSSELL YOUNG, Sir ELLIOTT LEWIS, and R. M. JOHNSTON, 1910. x (ELIGIBLE FOR RE-ELECTION.) \ Royal Society of Casmania, Hobart, Casmania. 8 200 ee Those persons who are inclined to benefit the Society by legacies are recom- mended to adopt the following Form of B equest. J qwe and be queath wile dhe “Reyal derely of Tasmania” Lhe sum of £ such leqae \ le be bard euwh co suelv bard of my personal estate nol specr{t- cally bequeadhed as dhe flaw beams de be a periepriated by wih de such a burpese. CLARKE, Dr. ee eae VV say LOCOS — So ALLWORK, Dr. F. ANTHONY, E. S. ANDERSON, Dr. G. M. ARCHER, W. H. D. ASH, PERCY ATKINS, C. J. BAKER, HENRY D. (life mem.) BARCLAY, D. BARING, Rev. F. H., M.A. (life BENNISON, THOMAS mem.) BENNETT, ie H. BIDENCOPEH, J. BURGESS, Hon. W. H. BUTLER, Hon. Dr. BUTLER, FRANCIS BRAIN, Rev. A. BROWNELL, LESLIE CAMPBELL, Dr. R. D. CLARK, His Honor Mr. Justice CLARKE, Rev. G. Jd. Tel, COUNSEL, E. A., F.G.S. CROSBY, Hon. W. CROUCH, Dr. E. J. CROWTHER, Dr. E. L. CRUICKSHANK, Col. DAVIKS, Hon. C E. DAVIES, Hon. J. G., C.M.G. DEAN, Hon. ELLIS DELANY, Bishop DOBSON, moe Senator H. DOBBIE, E. D. DE HOGHTON, THOMAS, ELKINGTON, Dr. EWING, Hon. N. J. EVANS, Colonel T. M. FINLAY, W. A. FOSTER, J. LD. (life member) FOSTER, H D. (life member) GIBLIN, Dr. W. GOULD, ace GOULD, H. T. GRANT, é. W. eau member) GREEN, A. ae M. W. HEYER, Rev. J. HORNéE, W. IRELAND, Dr. E. W. J. TO a M., Pee JOHNSON, J , M.A KAYSER, H. C. Fr. KERR, G. KINGSMILL, H. C. KNIGHT, H. W. LEGGE, Colonel W. V., R.A. LEWIS, Sir ELLIOTT, K.C.M.G. LEWIS, Major R. C. LINKS, Dr. D. H. E. LOCK WOOD, W. P. LOVIBOND. Rev. H. MACFARLANE, Bere Jam MACGOWAN, br. MacLEOD, P.. "B hs McvuL YMONT, @ R. (life mem.) MASON, M. Mac ah aa Professor ALEX. MAY, W. MAXWELL, EUSTACE MERCER, Bishop MITCHE fly Al, ch. (life member) MOOREH, G. E. B , M.H.A. McELROY, JAMES A. McLEOD, L. H. MILLER, Dr. LINDSAY MURPHY, ARCHBISHOP NICHOLAS, G. C. NICHOLLS, Hon. H. NOETLING, Dr. F., PH.D. OLDHAM, N. PATTERSON, R. C PARKER, A. C. PARSONS, Miss S. R. PETTERD, W. F., C.M.Z.S. PIBSSH, E. L., B.Se. PROPSTING, Hon. W. B. RADCLIFF, H. RITZ, Rev. H. ROBERTS, H. L. RULE, C. H. SCOTT, Dr. R. G. SHAW, BERNARD, LS.O. SHOOBRIDGE, Rev. Canon SIMSON, AUG. SPENCER, H. J. SPROTT, Dr GREGORY (life m.) STEPHENS, THOS.,M.A.,F.G.S. STICHT, ROBERT (life member SMITH, LOMAS ee of W. TAYLOR, A PWELVETRERS, W. H. WALCH, C. E. WATCHORN, A. D. WATSON, HORACE WARD, W. F. WEBSTER, A. G. WEBSTER, C. E. WEBSTER, Dr. G. A. WEYMOUTH, W. A., Hobart WHITH, O. E. WHYTH, JAMES WILLIAMS, Professor W. H. WISH, H. J. WISE, O. H. WINTER, A. WOLFHAGEN, Dr. J. E. WOLFHAGEN, WALDEMAR YOUNG, RUSSELL Roval Society of Casmania. ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS, MAY 8th, 1906. The first meeting of the present session of the Royal Society of Tasmania was held in the societ y's rooms on May 8 in the presence of a large and fashionable audience. Among those. present were His Excellency and Lady Edeline Strickland, Mr. George Browne, I.8.0., Private Secre- tary, Lady Chelmsford, Sir Elliott and Lady Lewis, the Premier and Mrs. Evans, the Mayor and Mrs. Crisp, Colonel and Mrs. Mackenzie, the members of the Council of the Royal Society—Messrs, A. G. Webster (chairman), R. M. Johnston, 1.8.0.. Bernard Shaw, I.$.0., Russell Young, G. E. Moore, M.H.A., Hon. Dr: G. H. Butler, M.L.C., Professor Neil Smith, M.A., Colonel W. V. Legge, R.A.— Hons, W. et Burgess, N. Ewing, ©. Ee Davies, Mer... Mrs. Davies, Miss Marie Davies, Senator Dobson, Dr. Gerard Smith, Mr. P. §. Seager, Professors Mc- Dougall and Ritz, etc., etc. The Secretary (Mr. Alex. Morton) pre- sented His Excellency with a handsomely bound volume of the proceedings of the Royal Society, and read apologies for non- attendance from the Venerable Arch- bishop Murphy (written in a beautifully clear and legible hand), and Mr. é Stephens, M.A., F.G.S., one of the vice- presidents of the society. Drs. F. A. Rodway and R. D. Campbell, and Mr. P. Lockwood, were then elected members of the Royal Society. While the batlot was proceeding, the scaretary drew attention to a fine water- coluur painting which had just been re- ceived from New Zealand, of the Notornis Hochstetteri, the Takahe ot the Maori. This, the secretary explained, was the rarest of existing New Zealand birds, and was considered to be extinct until the capture of a specimen in 1898, of which this was a drawing. The first living bird was caught in 1847 in Dusky Bay. Soon after a second was obtained in Thompson Sound. Both were now in the British Museum. A third was captured near Lake Te Anau, and was now in the Dresden Museum. The bird was flightless, and its nearest ally was the Pakeko (Porphyrio melanotus). His Excellency then delivered the fol- lowing’ presidential address: — “SOME DEVELOPMENTS IN _ 19054 CONDUCIVE TO TASMANIAN PRO- GRESS.” Mr, Vice-president, Ladies, and Gentle- men,—It devolves on me, as president of the Royal Society, to open the proceed- ings of a new session with an address of a scientific character, and I propose, on this occasion, to bring to your notice a few of the discoveries and developments of the year 1905-1906, which have some bearing on the future progress of Tias- mania. The beginning of 1905 witnessed a continuing rise in the price of tin, cop- per, and other metals, which was then full of hope; few, however, expected that the increase would continue, and that ex- ceptionally high prices should _ be sustained for so “long a period. Believing, as I do, that the progress of Tasmania in the near future is closely connected with mining, the causes of the high price of copper and tin invite inquiry. It should be noted that these prices are given in terms of gold, and as the supply of gold from South Africa and other sources has been rapidly increasing, it would appear that, to some extent, the exchange value of gold has depreciated, rather than that the prices of copper and tin have appre- ciated. This circumstance modifies, to some extent, all other explanations. Nevertheless, the explanation which is commonly accepted to account for the high price of copper, is the rapid develop- ment of electric tramways, telegraphs, and other industrial undertakings, for which copper is still without a rival. This industrial development no doubt exists, and is likely to continue for some years at a rapid rate, but it is not suffi- cient to account for the upward move- ment of price. It is stated that China has been issuing a new copper currency which has absorbed no less than 60,000 tons of copper in the period under re view. Silver blocks called ‘‘shoes’’ change hands by weight in China, and it is, therefore, probable that a considerable amount of the copper coinage will every year be dealt with as metal, and worked up into trinkets and articles of domestic use, thus adding to the permanent de- mand for copper. Nevertheless, the bal- ance of evidence appears to show that the demand for copper has been exceptionai, and it can hardly be hoped that its price will continue quite as high as it is at present. With regard to tin, the im- crease in price has been more remark- able, and there are strong reasons to hope that the increase has come to stay. Vhis is a subject of the greatest import- ance to Tasmania; it calls for a care- ful analysis by experts, rather than the passing attention that it is here’ possible to bestow upon it. The physical proper- ties of tin are remarkable. Its intrin- tic value is great on its own merits, which is more than can be said for sil!- ver. Tin, as an alloy with copper to profyce gun metal, and tin for solder- ing, has to be purchased, practically re- gardless of price, as there 1s no available substitute. With reference to the re markable properties of tin when alloyed with copper, experiments have recently been made in which these metals have been combined in varying proportions to re-discover the truth or otherwise of the tradition that the bronze tools of the ancients could cut stone as readily as steel, with the result that alloys have been produced from tin and copper which are as hard as steel. They are, however, very brittle, and too expensive to be commercially useful. The great- est demand tor tin is for the coating of thin steel plates so largely used for en- closing. preserved foods, jams, ete. Al- rnough the present high price of tin has brought about the establishment of works for saving the tin from scrap and from old pans and other receptacles, this re- covery is very limited, and it is obvi- cous that much of the tin put on the inarket gets dissipated and lost for ever. Tin, therefore, differs from other metals in the extent to which it is worked up again to keep up the supply of the world. Tasmania is fortunate in havy- ing large deposits of tin, both in the eriginal rock matrix and in alluvial de- posits. The methods of recovering tin at small cost have been wonderfully de- veloped. Hydraulic dredging has now been brought to such a stage of perfec- dion that tin-mining in Tasmania, at present prices, must go up by leaps aud bounds, and centinue for generations. One of the reasons given to account for greater supplies of ‘tin not being forth- eoming from the Straits is that the supply of Chinese and similar labour is not as easily procured as formerly. It is said that the mortality exceeds 50 per cent. when it is attempted to open up bush land in Banca and Billiton, simi- lar in character to the land heretofore productive of tin. With reference to gold-mining, the erection by the Tas mania Gold-mining Company of two sets cf pumping plant equal to the largest in the world deserves special il mention. This plant will make it pos- sible to follow the reef of the ‘Tas- mania mine to a depth of probabiy 2,000ft. Although improvements in de- tail Lave been effected in the methods hitherto known for extracting metals, no new process of importance appears to have been discovered in 1905-6. The West Coast of Tasmania is reaping great benefits from the operation of smelters under a system in which the Sulphur n low-grade ores is made to act as fuel to facilitate their reduction. By the adop- tion of this system on a large commer- cial scale, vast quantities of low-grade ore, too poor to pay for transport out- side Tasmania, can now produce rich returns. It is reported in America that by very high temperatures obtained clectrically. gold, copper, and silver have been distilled; that is to say, boi!- ed off in vapour, and the vapour re-con- densed inte liquid metal. ‘his achieve- ment may open a way to, separate cer- tain complex ores, which have defied all previous efforts. of the The adaptation steam tur- bine for marine propulsion has made enormous strides inthe last year. Tasmania is closely connected with this development, inasmuch as the steamer Loongana, built for the ‘Tas- manian trade, was the first turbine steamer to cross the equator, and her voyage out from Glasgow to Australia, with one stop, at the high speed of 15 knots. and her subsequent performances have done more than any other achieve- ment to silence the streng body of con- servative engineers and owners of special machinery for constructing re ciprocating engines, who have been pro- claiming that the turbine is an experi- ment, and a wasteful application of coal. At low and moderate speeds, that is to say, at speeds below 14 knots the turbine at present does waste coal; but as the speed increases, the relative mechanical efficiency of the turbine in- creases in comparison with the efficiency of the reciprecating engine. It appears to me that this remarkable advantage of the turbine may be largely accounted for by the fact that in a turbine the back thrust of the screw propeller is nearly balanced by the forward thrust of the steam against the blades of the rotat- ing rings, and consequently the extrava- gant internal friction of the reciprocat- ing engine, which becomes enormous at high speed, is absent in a turbine- driven steamer. There has been a phenomenal development in the manu- facture of gas and oil engines. This is <0 pronounced that factories in this line have been working day and night in England to meet their orders Very simple appliances have been developed, by which a gas engine makes its own gas from coal or charcoal. This system has already been applied to sea-going craft; a marine gasdriven engine of 500 horse- power is under’ construction, and a 1,000 horse-power plant is designed. it appears that these producer-gas plants will render inestimable service to the mining industry of Tasmania wherever water is scarce, and I venture to sug- gost that these advantages have not re ceived the attention which they deserve. In the railway world, the past year has -been remarkable for the building 3% Hngland of the largest possible engines that could be safely got through exist- ing tunnels and stations. Speeds of 70 miles an hour have been recorded, and maintained with safety. At the oppo- site end of the scale comes the railway motor-car, Its advent is no longer an experiment, it solves the problem of maintaining traffic at reasonable expendi- ture on railways built through districts of which the passenger and goods trafiic ds too small to be remunerative under the present system of working. These Tailway motor carriages have not yet ‘been introduced in Tasmania, where the opportunities for their employment are so evident that it may be a penny wise and pound toolish policy to delay their introduction. jn the development of motors for use on common roads, it may be noted that the steam car has been defeated in the struggle for supremacy by the petrol engine. This is largely due to the great improvements in the construction of the explosion en- gine, and to the methods discover- ed to vary the speed of these engines, otherwise than by gearing. The Panama Canal is an undertaking, prospectively, of great importance to Tas- mania. The completion is very far off, and very sanguine people think it may be constructed in 12 years; nevertheless, the steps that are being taken to achieve suc- cess deserve our attention. The Govern- ment of the United States has made this ‘canal a national enterprise. After law and order had been established in the eanal zone, the American Government proceeded to exterminate the yellow fever mosquito, end to carry out other sani- tary reforms which have made Panama and Colon possible places for Europeans to live and work in. In fact, it is more than probable that Panama, which has for generations had the reputation of be- ine in the most deadly zone of the tropics, will soon become a model of sanitation, thanks to the combination of modern science and the uncompromising methods of American administration. Pre- sident Roosevelt appointed a technical “commission, on which he associated with ‘the leading engineers of the United ‘States the greatest experts the world can furnish in canal construction. This com- mission has recently presented its re- port, and, to the relief of those genuinely ill interested in the success of the Panama Canal, the majority reported in favour. of a sea-level canal; but, if the newspapers are to be credited, the President of the United States supports strongly the re- commendation of the minority, which is in favour of a canal with a series of locks. The work of excavation at the higher levels which is being done at present on the Panama Canal will be equally useful whichever project is fin- ally adopted. A canal comprising a series of locks and lakes offers the advantage— which is, probably, only an estimated ad- vantage—of taking shorter time to build. It also makes it easier to dispose of the flood waters of neighbouring rivers. On the other hand, a canal with locks would become useless as the result of even slight shocks of earthquake, which would cause the locks and dams to leak. When a dam, holding back a large volume of water, begins to leak the chances of the gap widening and the whole work being carried away are appalling. Well-wishers of the Panama scheme desire that itm ishouldi bey. asmertan | as pos- sible, immune, both from accident and from destruction by design, and that the canal should therefore be cut down to the sea level. The importance of this canal to the whole of Austra- lia generally, is immense. The commer- cial aspect of the canal is, perhaps, but a secondary question side by side with its strategic importance. When the time comes for a struggle between the white and yellow races for the mastery of the Pacific, Anglo-Saxon America, with Anglo- Saxon allies, will be sure of victory if fleets can be concentrated by the use of the Panama Canal; those who study with earnestness the future of a white Aus tralia should welcome every step in this great work. From the com- mercial point of view the Panama Canal will add to the natural advantages of Tasmania’s commercial position, and by offering new markets for Tasmanian apnles, and more speedy transport, this new outlet will relieve the anxiety of those who think that too many orchards are being planted—an anxiety which I do not share, Professor Milne, thority the best-known au- in the world on earthquakes, has recorded the opinion that there are about thirty thousand earth- quakes in the world every year. Some of these are, of course, very faint, and are only recorded on delicate instru- ments; but it is pleasing to note that the comparative immunity from _ serious earthquakes enjoyed by England is also enjoyed by ‘Tasmania. There is little doubt that the principal cause of earth- quakes is the shrinkage of the world as it gets older and colder; this causes dis- turbances of the crust, and there is reason to believe that the countries, such ag Tasmania, whtich were volcanic in a com- paratively recent geological period, and then became quiescent, are nowadays the most immune from earthquake shocks. Recent progress in the commercial utili- sation of waterfalls is very remarkable. The rush to harness what is left of the Falls of Niagara has been frenzied, and the disappearance of the Falls is as well in sight as any disappearance can be. From this Tasmania may draw a useful lesson. The utilisation of the power available from the Great Lake is a topic which has been often mooted. i am inclined tc think the time has come when it should: receive greater atten- tion. and when efforts should be made io attract capitalists to take it in hand. The idea should be dispelled that any big lake provides water-power as a mat- ter of course; this is not so. There are big lakes elsewhere, like Lake Tchad and Lake Tanganyika, that are growing smaller instead of keeping their level. What provides water-power is a large catchment area at a suitable ele- vation in a country with a reliable and sufficient rainfall. These desiderata are present in Tasmania. We have, more- over, a climate in which a manufactur- ing population can thrive and work to the best advantage, and the facilities are numerous where factories could be erect- ed in close proximity to deep-water har- bours. The transmission of electricity from the centre of Tasmania to the Coast does not present insurmountable engineering difficulties, if sufficient money is forthcoming, The commercial aspect of the question is not, however, en- couraging, if calculated on present de- mands for electrical power; but it may be noted that the same diffident view was held with reference to the first Power Supply Company established at Niagara. The proverb, “that money makes money,” finds its counterpart in the fact that power brings power, by attracting people to itself. in order that it may be utilis- ed. The local press has, within the past year, published a most interesting suggestion for working the Tasmanian railways by electricity, although it may be regretted that the scheme lacked de- tails as to the cest of converting tne relling-stock, and gave no prominence to the fact that, while electricity is much cheaper than steam traction for a fre- quent train service, the use of steam is cheaper where trains are few and far between. The application of electric nower for unwatering mines, such as the Tasmania mine at Beaconsfield, is not impossible, and I trust that many other mines on a nar with the Tasmania wil!’ be discovered, and that they will fur- nish tempting propositions for electric power from the Great Lake. Withregardto telegraphy, I desire to notice a portable telephone instrument de- iv ‘ State. veloped by a Tasmanian, and shown at the military camp at Ross on Haster Tues- day. ‘The apparatus has the great merit otf the thorough working out of detail seldom seen at the first exhibition of a new instrument. By its means any standing run of ordinary telegraph wires, or fencing wires, can be used as a con- uwection for reliable communication for a distance equal to the breadth of this With regard to wireless tele- graphy, I note with regret that Australia appears to be backward and apparent- ly reluctant to face this prublem with the characteristic enterprise: which this young community shows in other paths of progress. Within the year under re- view messages have been sent by wire less telegraphy from Hngland to Port Said, and ships crossing the Atlantic have been in constant communication with the shore, and able to issue a daily paper on beard. I firmly believe that, with the use of wireless telegraphy, mes- sages could be sent to England at shilling a word. and that the cheaps- ing of telegraph rates would be an in- estimable boon to Australia. The rate of transmission of wireless telegraphy has been increased from fifteen to thirty words a minute over moderate distances. Type-setting by telegraphy has reacked the stage of commercial developm«ut, but I hope the time is far distant when our Tasmanian newspapers will be set o ie up in type to one same order by an operator sitting in a bush capital. In electric lighting, Japan, a country very like Tasmania in its physical fea- tures, has made such progress as to light cheaply, not only its important towns, but also its villages, by electricity- In this line of enterprise Launceston has set an example to Aus- tralia, which would do credit tu any city in the world. It _ behoves other centres of population in Tas- mania to follow this good example. The use of electricity in the manufacture of steel has been developed to the extent that it is now commercially remunera- tive where electrical energy is available at the price of £10 per horse-power. This calls for attention, because in Tasmania we have abundance of good iron ore, and a reasonable hope that an electrical horse- power could be obtained at a figure far below £10. I may be allowed on this occasion to repeat my congratulations on the completion of the Denison Canal and of the Stanley breakwater, which I also had the vleasure to open within the last year. These works draw _ attention to the growth in the size and depth of modern steamers. These are increas- ing with marvellous rapidity, a rapidity which is alarming to most harbour trusts, but enables us to rejoice in the fact that Hobart offers, and will offer, apparently, for endless ages, deep water berths un- rivalled in the rest of Australia. The necessity by which harbour authorities all over the world are being pushed to provide wharfage for large draught steamers will, undoubtedly, increase the demand for heavy piles, such as were supplied from Tasmania for the Dover harbour works. ‘Trade in these piles is worth studying, by looking for orders wherever a large new harbour is project- ed. It is easier for T'asmania to hear that a new harbour is projected than for the contractors to know how easy it is to procure in Tlasmania piles of extra- ordinary iength, strength, and specific gravity. In shipbuilding an effort is being made to regain for the Hnglish mer- eantile marine the primacy as re- gards speed which now bélongs to Germany, and considerable pro- gress has been made in the building of two great steamers for the Cunard line, which will be 785ft. in length, and with a guaranteed speed of 244 knots. There is reason to hope the guaranteed speed of these gigantic turbine steamers will be substantially exeeeded. For the first time in history the number of steamers on the English register surpasses the number of sailing ships. The conclusion of the war between Russia and Japan has taught many lessons in the art of war. The Defence Forces of Tasmania have al- ready adopted in details of tactics, uni- form, and entrenchments some of these lessons. The war in the Hast has thrown light on many scientific problems of gene- ral interest. On Jand, prominence was given to the importance of railways in any scheme of defence, and it appears that a country not likely to be attacked for a long time might well spend money intended for future defence on strateg- ical railways, having at the same time a commercial value. On the sea the mo- dern design of battleship was tested in practice. It was shown that larger ships are required to keep the sea efficiently, to carry many long range guns, and to have a margin of stability after being hit by a torpedo. These lessons have rendered the greater part of the navies of the world obsolete. It was also shown that a large fleet is worthless unless it is kept in the highest state of repair, that no guns, explosives, or ‘materiel’ is worth having which is not the very best, and that enormous dockyard resources, with skilled workers in constant employment, must be at hand to any fleet worth hav- ing. ‘The importence of the torpedo-boat has been greatly discounted; these craft did not save Port Arthur, or sink a single Japanese warship. It appears that ships struck by Japanese torpedoes were repair- ed by the Russians, and brought back in- to the fighting line, and that the effect of the blow of a torpedo is purely local on e the structure of a ship. It was shown that life on torpedo-boats and destroyers is so hard that a large sea-going fleet in constant training is necessary from which to recruit crews physically able to keep’ to the sea in tor- pedo-destroyers, and to fight such craft at night and in bad weather. Crews unaccustomed to fight in uncomfortable weather were shown to be at the mercy of an enemy accustomed to the sea. The odvantage of superior speed was shown to give choice as to the place where decisive actions are to be fought by battle fleets. The designs have been published of a +urbine-driven torpedo, with a _ speed of thirty-five knots. The British Admiralty are projecting 20-knot sub- marine boats. No more powerful means for harbour defence has yet been devised. The salvage operations of the Japanese, by which they raised from the deep several battleships and cruisers are amongst the most instructive lessons of the war. It appears that there are no specially equipped salvage steamers sta- tioned in Australian waters, although the volume of shipping is great and increas- ing. The success of Japan in raising 2 whole squadron of wrecked shipping may be an incentive to establish salvage com- panies in these waters. Hobart would be an inviting centre for such an enter- prise, in view of our magnificent narheur. and its convenient position be tween Australia and New Zealand. The inclination to sell their navies—compris- ing several powerful ships of recent date— on the part of the South American Re public, tends to prove the preposition that all second-class navies are not worth maintaining. Notwithstanding the futil- ity of its mismanagement, the concentra- tion of a Russian fleet in the Sea of Japan, at a distance from its base in Russia of more than half the circumfer- ence of the world, has put an end to the theory that distance is any protection from naval attack. The supremacy of the sea now _ belongs to the nation that can build fastest, and has the greatest number of building slips and yards for vessels of the largest size. On this ship-building standard the suprem- acy of Hngiand is undeniable, and it does not appear that it can he seriously challenged for half a generation. fn scanning the political horizon for facts that can be dressed in a scientific garb, a prominent place is due to the visit of General Booth to Tasmania, which has drawn attention to the Imperial aspects of the emigration question. With masterly ability, and with an organisation suited to the needs of. the multitude, General Booth has made the Salvation Army the greatest and most scientific emigration organisa- tion for receiving emigrants at the end of their journey that the world has seen. The entente cordiale between England and France in politics has developed the entente municipale and the interchange of hospitalities on a vast scale between parliamentary and municipal represen- tatives of English and French politics, and interchanges of visits by large parties of workers crossing political borders has established the germs ef an international procedure, from which some hope may be drawn for an eraof universal peace, and for some movement towards the general re- duction of armaments. It has been realis- ed in England as well as here that single member constituencies produce startling anomalies, and a very disproportionate representation of the will of the people. Theoretically, no greater service could be rendered to the democracy than by devising and enacting a satisfactory sys- tem of proportional representation. Tas- mania has in the past been foremost in giving an example in this line of pro- gress, and the question is one which may again deserve attention on_ scientific grounds. The proposal to build a railway to the summit of Mount Wellington is a step in the policy of advertising Tas mania and its peerless climate, which my Ministers have as closely to heart as I have myself, and the Tasmanian Tour- ist Association may be congratulated in the application of science in its meth- ods. In conclusion, I venture to hope that this Royal Society of Tasmania may, in the session now opened, contribute its share of work, in its special ephere, to- wards the advancement of the progress of this community. Mr, R. M. Johnston, I.S8.0., F.S.S., said it was generally supposed that the Royal Society was limited to the consideration of topics dealing with natural history, and he had often been reproached w'th having introduced questions of an economic character, which were regarded as outside the society’s work; but he thought that the varied interests of man were as much entitled to their serious consideration as the vagaries of a bacil- lus, and he was glad, therefore, that His HExceliency had drawn attention in his address to a number of matters which affected Tasmania in many direct and in- direct ways. In considering the question of price of tin, to which His Excellency had referred in his opening remarks, they must remember that that was determined by the cost of production at the worst advantage. He was glad to say that there v1 was a prospect of the poorer tin fields, which were of such vast extent in Tas- mania. being made profitable, from which great benefit would result to the State- His Excellency had referred to the great progress that had been made in various ways. This led him to think of the tre- mendous progress that had been made by England during the past century, at the end cf which she had a’ population of 42,090,000, far better clothed and fed than when the population was very much smal- ler. This was the result of the great discoveries that had been made, which had annihilated distance and time, and brought the producers and the consumers closer together. Senator Dobson then moved a hearty vote of thanks to His Excellency for his interesting address. Whenever His Excel- lenecy addressed them they could not but realise what an intelligent interest he took in all that affected: the well-being of the island. His Excellency had shown them how very many important affairs going on in the world affected Tasmania, either directly or indirectly. He quite agreed with what His Excellency had said as to the necessity of having the very latest ships for their naval defence. He was glad His Excellency did not share the pessimistic views as to there being a slump in the _ fruit market. He (Senator Dobson) had been pessimistic once, but was so no longer. No industry here had succeeded so well as the fruit industry, and though the other States were vieing with us, we should remember it was Tasmania who pioneered the market, and showed that apples could be transported from one end of the world to the other. He had always thought that HMngland was first as a builder of ships, but he had recently seen an article show- ing that Germany was on a par with us, both as to the speed and size of the ships she built, and as to the perfect mechan- ism of the machinery. He was glad that His Excellency had referred to the projected aerial railway to Mount Wel- lington. He believed that it would be a great success, that it would attract tour- ists from all parts of Australia, and that it would prove to be an advertisement worthy of our Yankee cousins. The vote of thanks was carried by acclamation, after which those present were entertained in the trophy-room by the members of the Lady Hamilton Literary Society, and a very enjoyable half-hour was spent. vii JUNE 12th, 1906. The monthly meeting of the Royal So- ciety of Tasmania was held at the 'Tas- manian Museum on Tuesday, June 12, 1906. His Excellency Sir Gerald Strick- land who was accompanied by Lady Ede- line Strickland, and accompanied by Mr. Geo. Browne, I.S.0., presided, and the Chief Justice, Sir John Dodds, K,C.M.G., Was among those present. Apologies for absence were received trom the Bishop of Tasmania, Colonel Legge, and Sir Elliott Lewis. Mr. J. W. Tarleton was elected a mem- ber of the society. Biological Ancestry of Human Diseases. Dr. Gerard Smith read a highly tech- nical paper entitled ‘The Biological An- cestry of Some Human Diseases.””’ He said that they had no doubt heard of a recent cryptic utterance made by Sir Frederick Treeves, which was an expres- sion of the new school of medical thought, “Sir Frederick Treeves had said that “‘1f there were no diseases, the human race could not exist.” That was a statement which, although it embodied a truthful philosophy in respect to our mental att1- tude with respect to the reasons and cau- sation of disease, yet it went too far for our present comprehension. He (Dr. Smith} wished to present a lesser theory, taking in a certain limited class of bodily disorders. It was that disease in man was healthy life misplaced. Diseases were not rightly termed abnormal, but normal, processes going on under conditions which had changed, and constituted diseases only because the organism in which they oc- cur is im an incompletely developed state, and in a condition of imstability and change. Proceeding, Dr. Smith laid it cown that the last organs to develop in the wonder of evolution were the first to fail, whether by disease or advancing age, or, in other words, that physiological re- cency meant pathological: weakness. It would be expected that an organ which had been among the earlicet developed would be less likely to be unstable. The Ienger an organ had performed its fune- tions in an adequate and satisfactory manner, and hed therefore attained by survival of a high standard of perfee- tion, the less likely would it be to fail in its function. In spite of ill-treatment, the stomach, one of the earliest developed organs, was the least liable to disease; whereas the lungs, heart. ete., which were of more recent development, were more liable to disease. This, he con- sidered, was in harmony with his theory, the ergans being as it were in a state of transition or instability, with the result that normal processes would go on under conditions no longer favourable. By throwing back to an earlier stage of their evolution cells would be put out of harmony with their surroundings, so toa speak, and thus cause disease. Democracy and Socialism. Mr. EH. C. Nowell read a lengthy paper, in the course of which he attempted to give definitions of democracy and social- ism. He described the Athenian polity, showing that in the ancient democracy the whole people exercised direct control of the affairs of the State, both legisla tive and executive. No such system ex- isted nowadays, except in Switzerland. There was, with the exception mentioned, no modern democracy in the exact sense of the term. Mr. Nowell next dealt with socialism, quoting largely from Professor Flint’s standard work on the subject, and also from the works of other British and European writers. Accord- ing to Professor Flint, socialjsm sought to re-construect and reorganise the whale social system, and to effect a vast im- provement in every department of human life. It aimed especially. at a thorough reorganisation of industry and property, at such an alteration of the conditions and arrangements as to the production, distribution, and enjoyment of wealth as would abolish voverty and remove the ciscontent of the operative classes. Mr. Nowell also dwelt on the various types of socialism which have been devel- oped—at least in theory—communism, collectivism, co-operation, and State socialism, etc. He concluded by giving a summary of the arguments advanced by American writers in favour of social- ism, and quoted an interesting extract from a recent article by Mr. Upten Sinclair, which showed how the perfec- tion of machinery had reduced the amount of human labour requisite to produce articles most extensively con- sumed. Mr. EB. D. Dobbie, who opened the di-- cussion on Mr. Nowell’s paper, saw 09 objection to the use of the word dem-r- cracvy 3s applied to modern States. it was trus that it had Icst in a measure its original significance, as used in reference to the Greek States, but its application with a modified significance ta modern States was quite legitimate and perfectly intelligible. The veople no longer exer- ewed direct control over the affairs of the State, but they were none the Jess the re- pository of political nower. The great feature which distinguished modern from ancient democracy was the system of re- presentation. Indeed, without the re- presentative system modern demacrecy would be impossible, on account of the size of the States. Socialism, he con- sidered, was an unmistakable protest against the present system, and indicated plainly that there was need for some re- form of existing institutions. A contest wus approaching between socialism on the one hand and individualism on the other, end he thought that the result would bea eompromise, preserving ths moderate forms of both. In his opinion, there was ne probability that individual production, private ownership of land, would ever be abolished. The present system had its un- doubted merits, one of the greatest being the incentive which it gave to individual effort. If that incentive were lost, civili- sation would be endangered. Mr. R. M. Johnston endorsed Mr. Dob- bie’s remarks. There were two extremes —unrestrained individualism on the one side, and complete socialistic rule on the ether. He believed, with Mr. Dobbie, that society would take the middle course. Preserving Timber. Mr. R. M. Johnston called attention of “members of the society to the process pa- tented by Captain E. T. McFie for pre- serving timber, and suggested that a series of tests should be made in order to ascertain its merits. Mr. K. C. Richardeon said that the tea- dency of Tasmanian timbers to split was a bar to their introduction into foreign markets. If any method could be discaver- ed of preventing wind shakes, a great expansion of the timber industry could be looked for. The sucalyptus was, in # sense, an evergreen; the sap was always in the stem. Consequently when the tree was ‘cut down and sawn into billets, rapid shrinkage took place, and as the process was more rapid at the ends of the logs, splitting was almost inevitable. What they wanted was a paint which should prevent this, and cause the pro- Vill cess of seasoning to proceed uniformly through the piece of timber. He had used several paints for that purpose, but none, so far as he could judge, were equal to Captain McFie’s. He would . make some tests shortly. when he shipped a smali consignment of timber to Hmgland, and in due course would communicate the results to the society. In moving a vote ot thanks to the gentlemen who had read papers, His Excellency made some reference to socialism. Something of the character of a socialistic state existed: in the re- ligious orders and the guilds of the Middle Ages. In the religious orders property was held in common, and tasks were assigned to the members suited to their several capacities. When their religious enthusiasm effervesced, how- ever, they grew lazy, and for the want or some authority to enforee discipline and compel the members to work, the organisation collapsed. That suggested a difficulty which was the crux of the whole question: How were they to ensure industrious application to work in the socialistic state, and how were they to assign proper tasks to proper persons? And, again, who was to see that those duties were properly performed? So far the State had merely touched the Pome a e . 7 . > « fringe of production. Agriculture, the most important industry, was wholly in the hands of private individuals. He did not know whether in the socialistic State inspectors would be appointed to see that the farmer put the right cow in the right paddock; but supervision and discipline of some sort would be essential. The vote of thanks was carried by ac- clamation, and the meeting terminated. ix JULY 1ith, 1906. The monthly meeting of the Royal So- ciety was held on July 11, His Excellency the Governor (who was accompanied by Lady Edeline Stricklond and Mr. Geo Browne, Private Secretary) in the chair. School Hygiene. Dr. Elkington, Chief Health Officer, gave a most interesting and important address on “‘School Hygiene,” illustrated with diagrams, the lantern-slides showing the different ways in which children sit at school, getting into bad habits, spoil- ing their eyesight, curving their spines, and doing themselves all sorts of injuries, which were owing to bad ventilation, badly constructed schoolrooms, badly placed windows, and wrongly constructed desks, All these could be obviated if schools were properly built, and modern appliances used, specimens of which were thrown on the screen. The greatest of the faults committed in the name _ of education in the past, said Dr. Elking- ton, had been the non-recognition of the physical side of the child’s environment, whether as an all-controlling factor im the development of the spiritual side, or as an all-important imfluence upon the child’s future. This was not fair to the ehild, since it interfered with his mental equipment for the struggle of modern eempetition, and frequently saddled him with a lasting physical defect. It was neither reasonable nor fair to anybody to continue attempting to force impres- sions, through eyes which were prevented from seeing and ears which could not properly hear, ta reach brains somnolent and unresponsive from carbonic acid poisoning. In London, great efforts were being put forth to better the physical and moral status of the County Council school population, and the results amply justified the cost. Throughout the British Isles the work was going on apace. Ger- mony had for years appreciated its value, with the result that the proverbially be- spectacled student of a generation ago was becoming rarer. Switzerland had a widely organised system of examination and inspection, practically dominated by the school medical officer, who was a sort of hygienic autocrat. Many of the Ameri- can States placed the hygiene of their schools directly under the State health authority, and Japon had an exhaustive system of medical inspection and super- vision by some 8,424 specially appointed doctors. So much does America value hygiene that it is the only compulsory subject in the school curriculum in a number of the States. It was well for the teachers to become acquainted with the main principles governing site, struc- ture, circulation, planning, lighting, and air supply; but from a practical point of view these were of less importance than the knowledge of how to utilise to the best advantage what was provided. For those who could afford to erect a private school ou correct lines, there was a largo available literature in several Buropean languages, and even in Japanese. When money was to be spent on school build- ings, it was generally better to expend it on the inside than on the outside. Me- chanical ventilation or adjustable desks would be a more important innovation than a bell tower. School hygiene did not necessarily imply large expense, nor could a system be run on formal cut and dried lines, suitable for all latitudes and all classes of schools. Like Opie’s colours, it required to be mixed with brains. Its resources were available for the smallest of back-black schools in Canada or Aus- tralia, and were essential for the largest of the great establishments of London or New York. School hygiene was not intended solely for the child. The teacher was the mainspring of the school, and causes which operated adversely upon his or her physical condition, tended ta interfere with educational result. Schoo] hygiene was not a question for State edu- cational systems alone. «its importance was as great in private as in public schools, ond its economic results were equally striking in both. As a rule, physi- cal culture should be regulated by a medical man, as serious damage might be done to individual weakly children by physical overstrain. In the absence of a trained instructer, it should never be undertaken. Ordinary healthy children derived more benefit from a noisy sc2m- per. round the playground than they would get from a half-hour’s ordeal of club-waving or toe-touching mechanically directed by an uninterested and unskilled teacher. After dealing with the benefit to be derived from the medical inspection of schools, Dr. Elkington concluded by deseribing the different mechanical appli- ances, such as windows, school desks, warming apparatus, ete., used in modern schools, which were thrown on the canvas by Mr. Nat. Oldham. ; A discussion followed the paper, in the course of which Mr. Smith, headmaster of the Model School at Battery Point, spoke of the splendid work done by Dr. Elkington in improving the conditions of the schools in Tasmania; efforts which were very much appreciated by the teachers throughout the State. Bishop Mercer said if the Government compelled children to go to school they must make the schools healthy places for the children to work in, no matter what the cost. Many of the schools in the country were old-fashioned to a degree. The teachers suffered even more than the children by bad conditions. Mr. Oldham said it was not State- schools only, but private schools, that wanted looking after. The Chairman said he could not ade- quately express the very high apprecia- tion which Dr. Elkington deserved for his efforts in popularising a really sound system of school hygiene. Nowhere had he seen the work done so systematically and so thoroughly as here. Wotes on King Island. A paper, entitled ‘‘Notes on King Teland, and Recent Discoveries,’’ pre- pared by Messrs. R. M. Johnston, I.S.0., and Alex. Morton, was read, from which it appeared that within the last few months several interesting specimens of animal bones had been discovered at King Island by Mr. J. McKie Bowling in a sand dune at Surprise Bay. Mr. H. H. Scott, curator of the Victoria Museum, Launceston, considered they were the bones of an extinct emu, and cther remains, Arrangements were accordingly made, with the approval ot Mr. A. G. Webster, chairman of trustees ot the Museum, for a visit to the spot by Mr. Alex. Morton, accompanied by Mr. R. M. Johnston, to whom the necessary leave of absence was granted by the Pre- mier. Messrs. Morton and Johnston obtained a number of bones, ef which they found an immense quantity huddled together, representing a great range of epecies, in the sand dunes. Among the animals represented were wallaby, wombat, emu, marsupial rats, a number of skulls of a carnivorous mar- supial closely allied to the Tasmanian devil, and the fossilised metatarsus of the emu. It was highly desirable that those dunes should be still further ex- amined, so that not only the Tasmanian Museum, but other Museums throughout the world should contain specimens of this extinct species. The birds were very similiar to those found in Tasmania,. while one or two Victorian species seamed te have established themselves, such as: the Gang-gang Parrot. Particular'y noticeable was the number of black mag- pies, or jays (Strepera fulignosa). Among- others were musk duck (Biziara lobata}, the blue heron (Herodias pacifica), the black duck (Anas superciliosa), Jameson’s gull (Larus Jamesonii), Pacific gu! (Larus pacificas), the scoty oyster-catcher (Himanthropus fuliginosus), and many others, which gorged themselves on the vermin cast up in the kelp which strewed - the shore. Three snakes similar to those found in Tasmania were common— the tiger, the diamond, and the whip snake. Two or three species of lizatds and several frogs were found, as also six specimens of beetles, and seven cr eight species of land ond freshwater shells. In the early part of last century the island was a favourite reeort of sealers, the seals being indiscriminately slaughtered, but that had recently been stopped by the Fisheries Commission, with the result that seals once more abounded. Very excellent blackwood grew on the island, large quantities being shipped to Mel- bourne and Launceston, They recom- mended the reservation of a large area as a timber reserve. The dairying in- dustry promised to become a very im-' portant one, but better communication was required with the mainland. If the: Marconi system of wireless talegraphy could be installed connecting the island with Victoria and Tasmania, they were: convinced it would soon repay the ‘nitial outlay, and materially help to increase the population and prosperity of tha island. A paper on the “Geology of King: Island’? was read by Mr. R. M. John-" ston, and illustrations of the scenery were depicted by means of lantern slides. A vote of thanks to Dr. Elkington, and Messrs. Morton and Johnston terminated ° the proceedings. xi AUGUST 15th, 1906. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Royal Society was held in the Society’s room at the Museum on August 15. His Excellency the Governor, who was accom- panied by Mr. Geo. Browne, I.8.0., Pri- vate Secretary, presided. The following new members were elect- ed:—Hon. N. K. Ewing, Mr. J. A. John- son, M.A, (principal of the Training Col- lege), Mr. H. J. Spencer (electrical engineer), and Dr, F. W. Neetling, Ph.D., who has for many years been connected with the Paleontological section of the Indian Survey Department, and has con- tributed numerous articles to various publications on paleontological and other subjects. The Tasmanian Emu. Colonel W. V. Legge’s paper on the Tasmania Emu (species Dromiaus) was read, in the Colonel’s absence, by the Secretary (Mr. Alex. Morton). “In con- nection with the interesting discovery of emu bones on Hing Island some little time since,’ wrote the colonel, ‘‘and the recent trip of the Director of the Museum to the site of their exhumation, a few remarks about the ‘Tasmanian species may he opportune. I had the pleasure of inspecting the bones, in company with Mr. Morton, and was struck with the small size of the femur, which would re- present a bird a’ little more than _ half the size of D. nove hollandie, and the impression came to my mind that the bones might not improbably belong to the smaller insular form, the Black Emu (D. ater), of Kangaroo Island, 8.A. ‘This species existed there in the beginning of the last century, and specimens were cap- tured and sent to Paris by Peron. The bird was afterwards exterminated by the settlers, much in the same way that the Emu in Tasmania was—chiefly by being run down and caught by dogs. It is reasonable to suppose that D. ater ex- tended its distribution te King Island, being, in fact, the insular form of the continental species.” The paper concluded with a suggestion that some of the King Island bones should be sent to the Flor- ence Museum for a comparison by the Director with the skeleton of D. ater which was there. The Cucumber Herring. A paper by Mr. C. H. Harrison, assist- ant secretary of the Northern Tasmanian Fisheries Board, was read by Mr. R. M. Johnston, 1.8.0. It was entitled “Some notes on the propagation of the cucumber herring from the captive fish.’ Mr. Harrison, who has taken a great deal of interest in this branch of science, was successful in hatching a large number cf eggs of this interesting herring, whicn was at one time plentiful in our Southern waters, though for some years they have been extinct. The result of the exper. ment at the Waverley ponds in Launce:- ton clearly demonstrates that this fish, like the salmonide, can be dealt with, and it is to be honed that not only the Northern, but the Southern and other rivers will be stocked. Aboriginal Stone Axes. A paper on a recent discovery of some Tasmanian aboriginal stone axes on Tas- man Island by Mr. J. E. Philp was read by the Secretary (Mr. Alex. Morton). On a recent visit to Tasman Island, Mr. Philp found, near the summit, a large number of chipped stone implements, clearly showing that at one period the now extinct aboriginals of Tasmania visited Tasman Island, whether in search of mutton bird or crayfish it is difficult to say; but they must have made use of their very rude canoes, known to have been used by them on the Hast Coast, to go from the mainland to the adjacent island. It would be interesting to follow this matter up, and see if any shell middens, as found on _ the mainland, exist on Tasman Island. Professor Ddward ‘Tylor, F.R.S.., of London, in a very interesting paper pub- lished in 1893, entitled ‘‘On the Tasman1- ans as Representatives of Paleolithic Man,” wrote:—“‘“The Tasmanians up to the time of the British colonisation in the present century habitually used stone implements shaped and edged by chip- ing, not ground or polished. These be- ong, notwithstanding their modern date, to the order of the very ancient palzo- lithic implements of the Drift and Cave periods, from which the later imple- ments of the neolithic order are distin- guished by greater form and skill of fin- ish, and especially by the presence oi grinding or polishing. ‘The comparison of the Tasmanian stone implements,’ wrote Professor Tylor, “with those of the ancient world impresses on us the fact that the rude modern savage was content to use a few forms of implements for all purposes of cutting, chopping,etc., these being flakes as struck off the stone, and such flakes, or even chance frag- ments, trimmed and brought to a cutting edge by striking off chips along the edge of one surface only,. whether completely or partly round. Such stones are known to the Stone Age of the old world. The Tasmanian, though using types of imple- ment not unfamiliar to palwolithic man, is not known to have attained to making any implement approaching the character- istie paleolithic pick, chipped into sym- metrical form, and edged and pointed by chips taken in order from both surfaces, if,” says Dr. Tylor, “it may be taken that the information from Tasmania 1s eonclusive in this respect, it will appear that the savages there, within this cen- tury so miserably erased from the cata- logue of the human race, were represen- tatives of Stone Age development, a stage lower than that of the Quarternary period.” At the request of the secretary, Dr. Noetling, who is an authority on the Stone Age, spoke on the subject, and said he had been greatly struck with the like ness of the ‘Tlasmanian stone (specimens of which were shown in a case) to the eolithes of Europe, which were of artific- ial origin, and were shaped between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago, when our European ancestors were in about the same state of cultivation as the Tasmanian aboriginals were. He agreed with Dr. Tylor that the latter were in the same state as the paleolithic men of Europe. Schouten Peninsula. _ The most interesting item of the even- ing was a lecture by Mr. W. Beattie, J. xXil “oceasions, beautifully illustrated with 50 specially- prepared Jantern slides, on chouten Peninsula; its adaptabilities as a natu- ral reserve for the protection of the native flora and fauna of Tasmania.’ Mr. Beat- tie’s suggestion that this place should be reserved as a sort of national-park has been dealt with by the society on severai At the June meeting in 1904 Mr. J, F. Mather read a very interesting paper on this subject, and the proposal last night met with the warm approval of the society. The views embraced the whole of the coast line from Denison Canal to Freycinet Peninsula, and gave a very realistic idea of what sort of a place the proposed reserve is. Mr. Nat Oldham managed the lantern with his usual skill. Mr. Morton said that Tasmania was the only State which had not a reserve for the preservation of the fauna and flora. Tt was high time that some steps should be taken to acquire one, and none better could be found than the one proposed. ‘After a short discussion on the paper, a cordial vote of thanks was passed to the speakers, on the motion of the chairman, aiter which the proceedings terminated. xii SEPTEMBER 11th, 1906. THE NEW EDUCATION. One of the most interesting subjects discussed at the Royal Society for some time past was that of ‘‘The New Educa- tion,’ on which Mr. J. A. Johnson, M.A., Principal of the Training College, read a paper at the meeting on September 11. There was a fairly large attend- ance, among those present being His Excellency the Governor (who _pre- sided), and Lady Edeline Strickland, accompanied by Mr. Geo. Browne, I.8.0., Private Secretary; the Minister of Edu- cation (Hon. W. B. Propsting, M.L.C.), Bishop Delany, Messrs. R. M. Johnston, I.8.0., G. E. Moore, M.H.A. Mr. J. A. Johnson, M.A., who was re- ceived with applause, said In addressing the Royal Society of Tas- mania on education [ am well aware that, while the subject must be of vast interest to all the members, many of the technicalities of the art and science of teaching which I shall touch upon will appeal only to those actively engaged in the work of teaching. Still, any aspect of this subject must find a response 11 the minds of all those who have the well- being of the State at heart; and, there- fore, I fee] no hesitation in addressing you on the subject in which I am myself most intensely interested, and to which all of you must have given much time and earnest thought: The first thing to be said about the term “new education ”’ is that the views current in the present day in regard to education are not new, but old—old as Plato; new in the sense, perhaps, that the world’s thought about the meaning and scope of education is being cast in the mould of these later days, and shaped again to new issues and fairer ideals. The history of education is the record of a series of failures; the next genera- tion will quietly brush aside the dust raised by the complacent reformers of to- day. But need we be discouraged when we view the small results of past effort as they appear, magnified by the powerful lenses of time and space? No; let us rejoice, rather, that our little systems have their day, and then cease to be—for the words of the poet about one good custom corrupting the world are especi- ally true when applied to the work of the educator. Constant iteration will take the soul out of the newest methods, and the time will come when it must be neces- sary to replace them by newer and better. When we look back on the progress of education during the last fifty years, we have much cause for congratulation and encouragement. The time is slowly pass- ing away when the reproach can_ be brought against us, as a race, that whilst skilled men are required to train our horses it is a matter of no consequence to inquire into the qualifications of the person appointed to educate our children. States are beginning to recognise that the teacher who works on mind is as responsible a person in the Common- wealth as the physician who ministers to the body; and that no unlicensed prac- titioner should be allowed in the ove sphere any more than quacks in the other. Departments are now less de- partmental, and more educational; teach- ers are no longer pedagogical machines, but are becoming more and more mem- bers of a learned. profession, with the power of initiation and adaptability. The atmosphere of the school is tending eradually to conformity with that of a well-ordered heme. The ascent of the ladder of knowledge is as difficult as of old; but there is a change in the method of reaching the top. In the past, the pupil was urged on from below—with the aid of a birch rod; now the master beckons him upwards, and the prospect towards which his eyes are directed is so serene and beatific that he feels it glori- ous to ascend. The teacher is viewed, not as a stern taskmaster, but as an elder brother, who is helping materially to create the best conditions for the realisa- tion of the possibilities of life. Contrast these ideals of primary educa- tion with those that have held sway with- in the memory of the present generation. In Britain, fifty years ago, a commission was appointed to inquire into the state of primary education, then in the hands, mostly, of private teachers. The report disclo-ed a most discreditable state of things to all concerned. The teachers were not only untrained, but also un- educated; the ranks of the profession—if profession it could be called—were re- eruited from all the failures in other paths of life, cripples and consumptives not being excluded. Many teachers, weak with the decrepitude of age, dragged out a miserable and hopeless existence, racked by the noise of pupils who learned nothing, to whom they were able to im- part nothing. To such teachers was the education of nearly a third of the chil- dren of England entrusted. In 1861, a new era was introduced by the revised code of Robert Lowe, afterwards Lord Sherbrooke. “Payment by results’ be- XV came:the ruling principle, and as a natural consequence H.M. Inspector played an important part in directing the education of the schools. The grant for the backward child had to be earned; the slow boy could not be neglected for the sake of his more brilliant classmate; the teacher became the slave of _ the managers, a Mere grant-earning machine. As far as real education is concerned, education as we understand the term, ‘this system failed to produce the results claimed by its advocates. It created a new word, cram—a word that stands for the negation of all real mental training. Mr. Lowe and his colleagues worked for ten years, firmly convinced that there is no such thing as a science of education. Under a regime of mechanical examina- tions there settled down on the elemen- tary school a monotonous and __ lifeless uniformity. A subject that could not be “examined, and attainment in which could not be tabulated in examination tab!es, was untt to be included in the school curriculum. It is astonishing with what persistency the low ideals of the pernici- ous “‘payment-by-results’? system have dominated primary education duiing the last forty years. The woret product of it is the 100-per-cent. teacher, the man whose horizon is bounded by examiners’ fads, and who, by a wise process of elimination, manages to anticipate an anspector’s questions. Another step in advance was made by the committee on education set up in 1871. Huxley was a member of it, and his presence was a sure indica stion that no effort would be spared to break away from the traditions of the past. He saw that the existing forms of ‘education were the mere survivals of the needs of past ages, and that it was the duty of the committee to make provision in the school for modern modes of thought. Hence, Huxley moved for the formation of science and art classes in connection with public and elementary schools. In his address he put forward a strong plea for the introduction of lessons in physi- ca! science. ““The country could not pos- sibly commit a greater error than in estab.ishing schools in whick the direct applications of science and art were taught before those who entered the classes were grounded in the principles of physical science.’’ He bimself showed the way by establishing in his regular classes a system: of science teaching, based upon laboratory work by the pupils. “It involved the verification of -every fact by each student, and was a training in scientific method, even more than in scientific fact.” There succeeded an age of activity in the direction indi- cated, the new education of the day being heralded by the publication of a series cof science primers for schools; but the the foundation -tending in the direction of making these promoters forgot again the fact that the emphasis in education must be laid on — the teacher, and mot on schemes and regulations and text-books. The memoriz- — ing of the generalizations of these text-_ books was substituted in the schools for training in scientific method, as initiated by Huxley. : In these colonies we have passed through phases of a similar character. The untrained and uneducated teacher has been a barrier across the path of re- form; the examination fiend has held us tight in his inexorable grip; we have substituted a semblance of knowledge, scientific and literary, for the reality “of knowledge itself. Now we are passing through a transition stage; and we modestly indicate ‘our aspirations by using such epithets as “real,” “new.” There can be little doubt that our primery schools are receiving a baptism of fire; and the changes taking place in stages must affect the secondary schools and the universities. It is within the scope of this paper to discuss only the aspect of this move- ment as 1t bears upon primary work. In passing, however, we may note the gradual changes taking place in the ideals of University education—changes i institutions count for more in national well-being. Public opinion first called into being the University extension movement; and the same force com- pelled the recognition of provi- sion for the higher education of women These movements, together with the establishment of Univer- sity colleges, with curricula suited to modern requirements, have had a most vital significance in the furtherance of our national ideals of education. The es- tablishinent of technical schools has de- veloped the ideas of all-round education in another direction; and not only so, but has influenced to an appreciable extent primary instruction. the cry of these schools has been that their progress is hampered by the bookish nature of the elementary work; that in some subjects, drawing especiaily, the instruction is most inadequate, and that training in manual aptitudes has been almost entire- ly neglected. The necessity for co-ordina- tion of work in these several stages de- mands a central controlling authority, for without it the several grades are like- ly to work on independent lines; each class of schools indifferent to the needs of those immediately above or below. Secondary education left to the chance of private enterprise, and technical schools,working eccording to the whims of _ successive managers, must imply conditions inimical to any system of educational co-ordina- tion, The pupil ought to pass as easily | from pr imary to secondary school, and | from the latter to the University, as he does from one class to another under a ‘system of absolute freedom of classifica- tion. The movement in the last fifteen years towards the betterment of conditions of ‘education during the years of plasticity has centred round the teacher himself. Every effort is being made to make him eticient, and, given such efficiency, all minor details of schoo! organisation and management may well be left to his judgment. Dr. Butler, noting the effect of training on the primary school teach- ers of America, and comparing the tone ol the schools under such men with that _of secondary schools taught by untrained men, boldly asserts:—‘‘Perhaps no secondary school or college in America can show teaching to compare, in mastery ot scientific method and in technical skill, with the best teaching to be seen in many ‘of the public elementary schools, parti- -cularly in the Wesvern States. tn con- sequence of this, we may safely assume that pupils fresh from the vigorous, in- _tellectual, and moral growth of a well- conducted elementary scnool will turn aside with disgust trom the machine methods and dull, uninspiring class-exer- cises of our average academy. The new educational life-blood is flowing . most freely and vigorously in the veins of the elementary teacher.’ What, we ask, is the essential element of such training? The teacher is primarily dealing with mental processes and mental growth; bence it is essential that all his train- ing should be based on accurate know- ledge of the nature of such mental pro- ‘cesses—in other words, his training must be grounded in psychology. Is reading, writing and arithmetic the objective of the schoolroom? No; if 1t were so, any- body could take a book in hand and hear ‘lessons. But when we consider that the ‘master’s business is to train heads to think accurately, hearts to feel sympa- thetically, and hands to do what is right, the ditiiculties of his work become appar- ent. It is one of the most pleasing fea- tures of the recent advance in method that psychology, hitherto a battle-zround for the warring theories of useless philo- -sophies, has become the most intensely interesting of all practical sciences in its application to the theory and practice of education. No teacher worthy the name cam now negiect the study of such books as Lloyd Morgan’s ‘Psychology for ‘Teachers,’ James’s “Talks to Teachers,’ and John Adams’ ‘“‘Herbartian Psychol- cgy.”’ The study of the science of psy- chology has taught teachers to lay the emphasis on the development of the pupil and not on the learning of sub- jects. In the words of Adams, the master needs to know more about John than about Latin. As soon as teachers begin to examine their work from the point of XV view of psychological method, they lose faith in the formalisms of tradition. Ne- cessity forces the duty upon them of adapting themselves to all the various aptitudes of the individual pupils in their ciasses. In other words, they are led to think not only of a class of children, but also of individual children, diverse in disposition, in aspiration, in attainment, in mental capabilities. The problem set before the teacher in this view of educa- tion is not at all an easy one to solve. Under such a view as this can a school- master’s work be mean, cramping, nar- rowing? Is it not rather the most diff- cult, the most broadening, the most up- lifting work a man can engage in? An archbishop was once asked, ‘‘What kind of a man is Edward Thring?” The arch- bishop was about to poke the fire. He paused, and, holding out the poker, said, “Why, he was this kind of a man. If he were poking a fire, he would make you believe that the one thing worth living for was to know how to poke a fire pro- perly!”? Read the life of the great master of Uppingham, and it leaves this impression on the reader that there is one supreme thing to do in the world, namely, the management and training of boys. Such work requires all the energy and enthusiasm of the best men; it re- quires nothing short of the devotion of ene’s whole manhood. There is nothing small, nothing narrowing in it. Those who speak of the narrowness of the schoolmaster’s work have never been true teachers, have never seen such at work; they have never known the divine en- thusiasm that glows in the minds of those who are shaping the life and the character of a nation’s youth. Thring’s leading principle was that the dullest and most uninteresting boy was as pre- cious in his eyes as the most brilliant. “Give every boy due attent:on,”’ said Rus- kin, “but spend most time on the bri!- liant ones.” Edward Thring would pro- bably reverse that. At Eton he had seen boys massed in large classes, and all the teaching directed towards the pbrilhaat ones intended for the honours of cthe University. This struck him as the great- est defect of the school. Small classes for the teacher, and not more -than 380 boys under the care of one master in a boarding-house, were two of the principles he carried out with iron determination. Tio be successful, each class-master and each house-master must individualize. Boys must be taken as units, each with his separate distinctive life: not in masses as parts of a great educational machine. One of his maxims was: “The teacher deals with latent powers; he does not hammer in a given task.” Under one aspect a teacher’s work is visible, and capable of some degree of classification; under the psychological xvi view it is unseen and incapable of estima- tion, but none the less real and lasting. For the schools a certain definite sylla- bus of work is prescribed; each year’s course is limited by a ‘“‘thus-far-and-no- less’? mandiate; an examination gauges the quantity of information assimilated by the learner from the year’s imstruc- tion, and there the matter seems to end. But this course of instruction may be pur- sued year after year without, at the same time, doing much to build up the mental faculties, without due guidance of ithe emotional capacities, and even without any proper regulation of the active vow- But this training and this guidaace dea this regulation is, after all, real education, the result of which can be measured by no scale of graduated per- centages. The true teacher is he who, 10 the course of imparting the knowledge prescribed, always keeps steadily in view the latter ideal of his work, uaamely, education as a means of per fecting mental growth and development. ‘This is ihe side on which the Greeks of Plato’s day laid most stress; it is the side the utilitarian of these modern days is in danger of neglecting. Amongst the youth of Athens the end of phy sical tnaining was the per- fection of manly beauty and the preser- vation of bodily health; so the object ef mental training was knowledge for its own sake, and for the discipline of the mental powers. In this hurrying age we seem in danger of mistaking the means for the end. Athletics is made an end in itself: to many the settled business of life, to others the one absorbing topic of conversation. In the mental department we have taken up the same false attitule, Fact crowds upon fact in chaotic disor- der. Time is precious and the best teacher is ho who can impart the great- est amount in the shortest time, no mat- ter how the organism fares in the hur- ried process of packing. The education of thinking, feeling, and acting powers is kept in the background to give place to tangible and showy results. The ‘“‘know thyself’? of Socrates was the keynote cf the ancient system; ‘‘know the examiner,” has come to the front in a generation given up to competitive examinations. Notwithstanding these aspects of mo- dern school life, there is much evidence that the stage of emancipation for the teacher is close at hand. The days have gone by when the charge can be Jaid against schoolmasters that, while the black smith may be deep in iron, and the shoemaker in leather, he alone of those who deal with mind is content to be ig- norent of mind. The principles of psych- ology are permeating the whole process of his work, and infiuencing his methods in many important directions. It may still be argued:—Yes, the teachers know something of the groundwork of the sci- ence of education, but is it possible to make any use of this knowledge in the practical daily routine of the schcol- room? To those who are alive to the nature of recent changes in method and alteration in the point of objective in educational effort the answer is plain. Given increased skill, due to years of efficient training, and certain freedom in classification of pupils and arrangement of work, and marked changes are at once apparent in the buoyancy and general tone of the classrooms. Let us take one example. Recently, in New Zealand, the incubus of a rigid individual examina- tion of pupils has been dispensed with. One result is, that inspectors have been relieved from the labour of much me- chanical drudgery, and are able to give more time to assisting teachers in their methods. Then the teachers also, feeling themselves trusted, and given more re- sponsibility than under the old regime, have responded with vigoreus confidence. Reading between the lines of recent in- spectors’ reports we may summarise the results from the teachers’ point of view as follows:—‘‘Relieved from the respon- sibility and the overburdening anxiety of an impending examination, they move in a lighter and freer atmosphere, and are able to turn from the consideration of the necessity of getting their tale of bricks completed to that of the question. how the lessons shall be laid before the children mest effectively. They are more at liberty to study methods, and can make it their aim, not so much to ensure that a certain amount of knowledge shall be gained as that the instruction shall be lV en in the manner moist conducive to its due assimilation.”’ In other words, the teacher can rise above the drudgery of imparting information, and can make a brav e attem pt to overtake the higher part of his work—the quickening of the intellect, the purifying of the emotions, and the guidance of the nobler will. Fortunately for the methods of the schoolroom the old faculty-psychology is now practically dead. produced such phrases as “training the reason,’ ‘‘cultivating the memory,” “strengthening the imagination” BIVENS) | i0F the mind consisted of separate com part- ments, each requiring a separate course of treatment. What was merely a logical analysis was exalted into a real one. Professor Findlay indicates the darken- ing of knowledge that took place under the disguise of such psychology applied to education: —‘‘Milions of children have been set to learn spelling lists, because, among other grounds, this delightful em- ployment will train the memory. Now, the most that can be said by a faculty- psychologist is that, by this exercise, the child will gain a faculty for acquiring similar lists of words hereafter, but he will gain no general faculty for recol- This psychology XVil lecting other matters.” The Herbartian, with his theory of apperception, has put a new aspect on the work of the psych- ologist, as it bears upon the art of teach- ing. He has changed the methods of the teaching of science. The special work of science teaching, as far as the primary school is concerned, is to train the power of observation, and to insure care and accuracy in all measurements and calcu- lations. ‘Tio gain any advantage from such study, the learner must be placed more or less in the position of a discoy- erer. Accumulation of facts will not help him to gain the scientific spirit, any more than the memorising of mere voc- ables will give him a good memory. The psychologist shows that the teacher who is most successful in storing the child’s mind with the greatest amount of infor- mation is also the most successful in removing any necessity for the child to think for himself. So, very careful atten- tion and supervision must be given by the science teacher to train the pupil in accuracy, and in scientific method; not to demand the ‘‘getting up” of pages of book work. To sum up the results of modern re- form as far as the teaching is concerned it may be said that the aim now is rather educational than disciplinary. Children are to be taught to seek knowledge, to hunger and thirst after the unknown. The teacher is the guide who leads the way to the springs and groves of Parmus- sus. Character and development of life become the goal of effort; not the inspec- tor’s percentage table anid the examiner’s eoloured pencil. We are seeking to avoid what Sir Oliver Lodge has characterised as the most soul-distressing product of the schools—the converting ‘‘of an intelli- gent or inquiring child into a dull and satiated professional schoolboy or school- girl.’ Perhaps the most encouraging sign of the times is the evident desire on the part of progressive Nations and States to cease to belittle and hinder the men and women who are charged with the training of their children. So far, much has been said about the teacher and his art; let us not forget the child and his aptitudes, A great deal is written in these days about child- study—much that is very ridiculous and very useless. But the movement has done some good in leading the teacher to see tht his methods ought to seek and use the natural impulses of the restless little atoms in front of him. How ob- servent children are! how inquis‘tive! What wonderful powers of reasoning they possess at times! And their very mis- takes — what are they but windows uirough which we may peep into the working of their litle minds? Then, how easy it is to manage children, if only they are kept busy. Teachers who make use of this choaracteristic—teachers who show much skill in the invention and organisation of ‘‘busy-work”’ have no diffi- culty in maintaining discipline. Young children, on first entering our schools, exhibit these powers, if they come from homes where they have received due en- couragement from their parents. The wise infant-mistress will not repress any spontaneity of the kind; she will skil- fully make use of it. And what ques- tions vour little tots of four and five will ask? ‘“‘Where is the wind when it does not blow?’ asked a little fellow who could scarcely lisp the words he was using. And, again, when a severe rain storm was at its height: ‘Mother, has God turned oon all the taps to-day?” “What is a policeman for?” asked the same child when walking down the street w.. his grandmother, noting the dis- tinctive uniform. Among other things, he was told that his office was to keep people good A few days after he was being taken to a house to meet other children, and he was impressed with the necessity of correct behaviour: “Yes, grandma,’ he said, “I will be good; I will be as good as a policeman.’ He had logically reasoned that a man who kept people ‘“‘oood”’ ought to be « model of perfec- tion himself! Child-study has shown the value of such aptitudes and powers, and educationists do not fail to take tne child along the path of least resistance. A happy com- bination of Kindergarten and Quincy methods has led to a revolution in infant-school teaching. Froebel’s methods had serious limitations; hence the amount of mystical nonsense that gather- ed round the “‘gifts.’ But the modern adaptation is a transformation of the old, due partly to Colonel Parker, but mostly to the divine vitality of the hun- dreds of infant mistresses who are quiet- ly and unostentatiously performing the noblest work in the _ profession. The blunderers of the past set immature pupil teachers to train the infant classes; it is part of the glory of the present that the best and most sympathetic women in the service are now secured for this work. Take, by way of example, another apti- tude of the young child—the power of ob- servation. Will anyone deny that the bookish work of the past has been a potent means in smothering all the pupil’s proclivities in this direction? A notewortny feature of modern methods of education is the tendency to depart from the old book-learning ideal, and to cultivate and train on right lines those instinctive powers of observation already referred to. In the past the child has been too much of a passive entity. His active powers were exercised in crude at tempts at drawing stiff inartistic formg XVill or in placing yards of unintelligible figures on a slate and then rubbing them off again. He reduced marvellous frac- tions to uncommon denominators, and spent much time in calculating when the hands of a clock would be together, while inwardly praying that the said hands would hurry on a little faster. While performing transmutations on thousands of pounds changed from one stock to another, the only objective reality he was ever likely to come in contact with was the question of the number of marbles he could buy for a penny. In _ other words his faculty of seeing and his faculty of interpreting were never exer- cised, but even subjected to positive check, by the school curriculum. The subjects under the new order that will chenge all this are geography and nature study. “Geography!” you exclaim. Visions of names, of heights of moun- tains and lengths of rivers, of capes and bays, swarm in the bewildered brains! How we agonised to learn the names of all these, to the accompani- ment of a birch-rod! But now we take our pupils to the top of Geography Hill, which may be a spot in their own play- ground, and trom that vantage point we commence our survey of this fair earth. Real rivers and mountains are substi- {uted for marks on tattered wall-maps; where it is not possible to come in con- taet with actualities, pictures and lantern views are shown; models in clay or plas- ticine are made in the presence of the children and by the children. Geography and Nature study combined and _ ¢o- ordinated wiil prove in the future the means of developing the observational powers to an appreciable degree. Red- way puts this aspect very tersely when he says:—‘“The reading method might fii a young man to be a private secre tary; the discovery method fits him to he the employer of private secretaries. Anything that gives me self-power to discover and acquire knowledge is good; anything that gives the teacher self- knowledge in the place of a reading ac- quaintance is equally good. There is a wonderful strength that comes from the knowledge of contact; it 1s as solid gold compared with paper tinsel..’ Another subject that has recently been introduced into the primary schools to meet the needs of child activities is hand- work. Modeiling in plastic substances . and in cardboard, brushwork drawing, earton-work, and woodwork, are all splen- did aids in directing the energies of chil- dien towards self-realisation of all the bedily and mental powers. Hand, eye, and brain are trained to operate in one self-acting unity. Teachers find that the two hours every week devoted to one or other of these forms of handwork are really two hours gained in buoyancy and mental reaction when the time comes reund for the book-lessons again. ‘hen, what a splendid training in accuracy and care the woodwork exercises are! When a boy tries te fit his lap-joint or his dove- tail he finds that “near enough” is a bad maxim to work upon. ‘‘We don’t send our girls to school to learn cooking,” you say. No, perhaps not; but you would like them to be clean and orderly, and trained in all those habits that. tend to make home sweet, and life enjoyable. There is another aspect of these innova- tions, an aspect that only teachers will notice. In school-life, sport often helps a dull boy to retain his self-respect among his companions. So with hand- work. The boy at the foot of the class may be easily first at the bench. To the boy, one first is as good as another. In the past, effort has been directed too much to the training of head-workers cniy; handwork is making school-life endurable to those who can never be head-workers. Further, if a boy is to be a docior or a lawyer, does he not require a sound guidance in careful accuracy? Surely, as much as, if not more than, the mechanic needs. The training in school- life should be general and not special; in growing children we must guard against over-specialisation, for it may mean interference with the natural order of development. Teachers find that handwork is resulting in habits of inquiry on the part of their pupils, and thus tends to make school-life less hard, less monotonous, and less a matter of antagonism. Such work in our primary schools will lead to a much higher levet of national intelligence, and we know that a high average intelligence is the only safeguard of a democracy. Time will permit only a passing refer- ence to the efforts made to improve the surroundings of the pupils. School hygiene has come to stay; it demands close attention to all matters of health. Lighting, ventilation, seating accommo- dation, eye and ear-iesting, examination of teeth come under its searching eye. Nor can we deal now with esthetic con- siderations—the beautifying of the walls with works of art, the orderly arrange- ment of flower plots to fill the unused parts of the playground. Only the fringe of this subject has been touched upon. Enough has_ been said to indicate that a great and momen- tous movement is at work all over the thinking world. Sad will be the fats ot the State that does anything to crip- pie the advance of education in _ its midst. It must drop to the rear in the march of the nations. The best asset any country can possess is a thoughtful, cbservant, active, strong people. There are gold mines of wealth in our public schoois, knew we but how to work them. A new era is dawning for the teacher, an era of strenuous endeavour and tardy recognition, He dreams of work under yetter conditions, both for himself ana his pupils. Ue hopes for schools that will meet all hygienic requirements; buildings and playgrounds and furniture all ministering to that quiet, restful. aesthetic aimosphere that should pervade all his work. For him the gates of art have opened a little way to give a vision of the perfection that recedes for ever and for ever as he advances—a. perfection to which he aspires, but which he never attains. Nevertheless, he hopes to be mumbered amongst the ‘thigh men’’ of Browning’s lines— “That low man seeks a little thing to do, Sees it and does it: ‘ That high man, with a great thing to pursue, Dies ere he knows it.’ Mr. Clemes said that, as the oldest teacher present, he would like to say a few words on the very able paper read by Mr Johnson. He remembered the sys- tem of primary education in England 50 years ago, referred to by the lecturer, having been in a private school at the time. They learned a great deal more in private schools then than was taught in any of the State-schools. Lowe’s prin- ciple of payment by result made scarcely any difference to the private school teach- ing, but wholly to the Board-schools, which took the place of the National and British schools, the former conducted by the Church of England, while the latter were undenominational. Huxley’s work dealt mainly with secondary schools. He was in Switzerland when the techni- eal schools, borrowed from _ thence, were introduced into England. These were used by the manufacturers as a means of improving’ the technical skill of their work-people, which was clean against the idea of all true educationists, who desired to train, not plumbers and carpenters, but the science that underlay the art that was to be learned in the workshop. Referring to America, the speaker said that the prim- ary school teachers there, especially in the west, were nearly all young women. And a great deal of the higher education in America was also in the hands of wo- men. He hoped that the training-school was not going to enter into competition with the secondary schools, The time had not come to try and cripple the secondary schoolmasters, (Applause.) Dr. Delany said the drift of Mr. John- son’s paper was quite in harmony with what be desired for the education of the children—that the teachers should be specially trained, and that they should enter into the attitude of the child. The formation of character, which was one ef the main elements of the new education, XIX could not be successfully carried out on asis sounstable as the emotions, but mv be grounded on the conscience, an all- important element which was not attend- ed to by the Greeks. Mr. Johnson had made the happy remark that the school should follow the home, An eminent Frenchman had said that the school could give instruction, but was powerless to give education, which could only be ob- tained in the home. If that were true, as he was inclined to believe it was, 1t was important that the school teacher should occupy the place of parent to the child, and thus the continuity between the home and the school life of the child should not be broken. (Applause.) Mr. R. Smith, headmaster of the Bat- tery Point ‘State-school, said that his at- tention had first been called to the newer developments in education seven or eight years ago by letters from America, placed in his hands by the late Sir Edward Brad- don, asking children here to correspond with children in America on natural his- tory and other subjects. A correspon- dence thereupon ensued between the chil- dren here and there, which had been of great advantage to both sides, and had been the means of dispelling a great deal of ignorance about the different countries between which the correspondence was conducted. He gave a striking illustra- tion to show the value of a suggestion ky Mr. Johnson to teach different subjects— mental and manual, for imstance—so as to reach all sorts of minds. One of the boys attending his school had been com- pletely given up by the teachers as utter ly hopeless and incapable till the ban: was introduced, when he was the very first to attain proficiency, and from thav time an entire change for the better took place in his life. (Applamse.) Hon. Herbert Nicholls, M.H.A., ex- Minister of Education, said that Mr. Johnson’s lecture struck him as sound- ing the drum which was to signalise the freedom of one very much wronged indivi- dual—the child with a character. The child who could reason out a problem of Euclid but could not memorise it had been the victim of previous systems. Henceforth, he was glad to know, that the character of the child would be re- cognised as the important thing to be studied. Australian and ‘l'asmanian chil- dren aid not lack individuality and originality, and if they were allowed to develop in their own way, they would have a far more vigorous and intelligent community in the future than they had ever had in the past. (Applause.) Hon. W. B. Propsting, M.L.C., Minis- ter of Education, said if Mr. Johnson’s paper enabled the bulk of the people to realise what the new education meant a great deal would have been achieved. It meant that in the future children were not to be treated as machines to carry away as the result of their schooling a mass of undigested information of very little use, but as intelligent human be- ings to be given a mental experience, which would enable them to develop all their faculties, so as to be able, when they left school, to confront the varied problems of life in a satisfactory man- ner. The aim of the paper had been apparently mistaken by Mr. Clemes. It was not an advocacy of the control of the whole of education by the Government. For his own part, he would be delighted if the whele of the educational work of the State o.uld be undertaken by private enterprise, so long as it was efficiently done. Private enterprise was doing, and had done, a very large and important part in this and the other States, but a large number of parents could not afford to pay for a private education, and so the State stepped in, and undertook the work. And the State was endeavouring to see that the children were given the very best possible education that could be pro- vided. Ten per cent., perhaps 20 per cent., of a child’s life, and that the most important period, was spent in school. It was handed over to some master to train, and the State had determined that for so vitally important a work the teacher should be trained. That was the reason why they had started the training school, and in Mr. Johnson, he felt sure, they had the right man in the right place. In a democracy such as theirs, the people governed the country, and it was therefore of the utmost importance that the people should be educated. This was keing done by the State. After relating an anecdote to show the value _ of Sloyd teaching, Mr. Propsting concluded by thanking Mr, Johnson for the very able paper he had read. His Excellency said it was a very great pleasure to him to see around him those engaged in education work in _ Tas- mania, the prominent instructors in pri- vate schools, the prominent masters of secondary schools,two Ministers of Educa- tion,and other leaders of thought. He felt the Royal Society was performing a useful work in affording an occasion upon which these questions ‘could be discussed in a scientific light. The touchstone of Mr. Johnson's fascinating paper might be found, he thought, in one of the earliest remarks in it, that the new education was XX not new. istics was the differentiation between education and instruction. Education might be divided into education of the attributes of the mind and of the body. Instruction comprised every branch of learning—human and divine, draw the line between the two had been the probiem and the mystery. He remem- bered the first time he was in the Tas- man Sea between New Zealand and Aus- tralia. That was education. At that time he had to cram up a whole lot of in- formation from books to pass the matri- culation examination at Cambridge. That was instruction. He did not agree with Mr. Johnson in his analysis of the bearing — of Plato’s views on education. It was true that it was largely aimed at developing the physical qualities. of men and women as animals, and beauty for the sake of beauty 1m an esthetic spirit, but the founder of that system of education had another thing in his mind, and what the most earnest and puzzled thinkers of Aus- tralia had in their mind now, the connec- tion between education and the problem how to protect the Commonwealth from danger. After glancing at later systems of education, His Excellency went on to refer to the principle of competitive ex- amination, for tempt, but he did not sneer at the ex- aminer at competitive examinations, who. was a creature of circumstances. After praising the modern organisation of train- ing colleges His Excellency touched on one of the drawbacks of democratic go- vernment, the enormous difficulty of cet- ting vid of incompetent, worn-out, or out-of-date servants. The remedy for this, in his opinion, was an adequate and generous pension system for school teach- ers. After some further remarks, His Excellency proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Johnson for his interest- ing and able paper. (Loud applause.) In acknowledging the vote, Mr. John- son corrected a misunderstanding by Mr. Clemes as to the use of the word private school in England 50 years ago. The schools referred to by Mr. Clemes were not the ones he had had in his mind, but the primary schools, where the children of the poor were educated. This terminated the business, and the meeting closed. OCTOBER, 1906. No meeting in October. NOVEMBER, 1906. On November 8th, Professor W. Baldwin Spencer lectured before the Society on “The Australian Aborigines.” Other business was postponed, including a paper by Colonel W. V. Legge, R.A., on ‘‘ Ben Lomond ” One of its principal character— Where to which he felt great con- "SO6T ‘TILE Your f “my IM JOUBPIOIIV UL ST JUST94B4S SIZ VY Ajljte0 pue “vluetusey, Jo Aya10g [rAoy 9q} JO Syoog ey} poutuiexe Aep siqy eavy T ‘NITHOW “M “M a Sse | XX1 8 9 Srleg 3m Or et las é 918 oq Bs LOGI 09 GouRleg 9 Ol GELF 6 Ghv ae ‘10 ‘sdineyg ‘ysey A704 (On 0 SUTPIIT[OQ —AIOq IIH) “AYN On 20 er . 293 Ulay avy] —UeYpPlO “A 0 0 Ol nos 28 oy SMOG ZY TOTP AA ‘SASSO [A] O-= 8 9 aot ae a Pa SUIQULIG—sma AT UDIUDUSD J, 0-0 “08 : SULJUL—'SO1g Solar, “SISSeT{ salt ass zo SULJULIG—1e}JULig JuemiuaAoy) OY, | O GL ZI a5 “" aInqoorT Sda0uedg Jossejoag Jo spaeo1g 0) 0-61 ay Pe oe ““* 01Z09Q [BOLpayY OF FUBIHH | 9 O BOL ~° oe ih “* SMOT[AY JO SUOTINGIAUO| Sel 09~—-- ; ‘a se SOMUIEC RING Wis PEGS ory a ee GO61 Worf soURleg pF | Pinss ag SINANASHOASIA SUd THOU ‘9061 4vah ay, 40f SININISYNASIC GNY Sld/FOIY fO ,UaWMaIv}§ ee XX11 ‘NITTHOW “M M “H ‘Q06L “Woe ILS “U9Yy TAA dURPIODIY ULST JUOWIOZRIS SITY FV} AfJ190 pure ‘eruBisey, Jo AJoIO0g jeAoY ey4 Jo SYoog oy} pouruexo Aep sty} eavy [ O OT IPIF ra Et SS OL Z Ils oo Ge 6 35 O10 @ 0 0 G as 0 €1@ 0 0 F Once, 0 O 06 Pv €1 09 . 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Anan ay} AOL SININISYNASIO PUY $1d1FIIY XXIV Royal Society of Casmania. The annual meeting of the Fellows of the Royal Society of Tasmania was held on July 9, 1907. Mr. A. G. Webster presided, and there was a fair attendance. The report and balance-sheet were presented by the Sec. Mr. Robert Gould was elected a Fellow of ,the society. The Chairman moved the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, and stated that the Council had under consideration the question of revising the rules, and a special general meeting would be called to consider the recommendations. Mr. Russell Young seconded, and in the discussion which followed on the affairs of the society, ‘Mr. E. L. Piesse suggested that more should be spent on the publishing of the proceedings of the society, and greater efforts made to secure new members. The motion was agreed to. There being no other nominations, the retiring members of Council, Sir Elliott Lewis, Messrs. A. G. Webster, R. Young, and R. M. Johnston were re- clected. Royal Society o1 Fasmania. REPORT FOR 1906. Se a Meetings of the Royal Society have been held during the winter session for 1906 in the months of May, June, July, August, September, and November. The following papers were read :— May 8th—“Some developments in 1905-6 conducive to Tasmania’s Progress.”—His Excellency the Governor. June llth — “The Biological Ancestry of Human Diseases.” —Dr. Gerard Smith. June 11th — “Democracy and Socialism.”—Mr. E. C. Nowell. July 11th — “School Hygiene.’—Dr. Elkington. July 11th — “Notes on King Island and_ recent Discoveries.”—Messrs Morton and Johnston. July 11th — “Geology of King Island.”—Mr. R, M- Johnston, I.8.0. August 15th — “Tasmanian Emu.”—Col. W. V. Legge, R.A. August 15th — “Some notes on the Propagation of the Cucumber Herring.” —Mr. C. H. Harrison. August 15th — “ Aboriginal Stone Axes.”—Mr. Alex. Morton. . August 15th — “Schouten Peninsula.” — Mr. J. W. Beattie. . September 10th — “The New Education.”—Mr. J. A. Johnson, M.A. November 8th — “ Australian Aborigines.” — Professor W. Baldwin Spencer, F.R.S. CORRESPONDING MEMBERS. Two new Corresponding Members were elected during the year, Messrs. W. Heyn, and P. St. Michael Podmore. NEW FELLOWS. Ten new Fellows were elected and three resigned. Four members of the Council, Messrs. A. G. Webster, Russell Young, R. M. Johnston, L8.O., and Sir Elliott Lewis, retire, but are eligible for re-election. XXv1 JANUARY 2nd, 1907. AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES. LECTURE BY DR. KLATSCH. A large audience assembled on Janu- ery 2, 1907, in the Royal Society’s room at the Tasmanian Museum to hear a lec- ture by Dr. Herman Klatsch, Professor of Human Anatomy at the University of Heidelberg, on the habits, customs, and ceremonies of the Australian natives. Mr. A. G. Webster presided, and amongst those present was Dr. Delany, Bishop of Laranda. : At the outset Dr. Klatsch explained the object of his visit to Australia, namely, to study the skulls of the aborigines, which Huxley had declared bore a striking resemblance to fossil skulls found in Europe. Huxley’s assertion had, the Professor said, been absolutely confirmed by his investigations.” In ad- dition to studying the skulls of the natives, he had sought to study their bodies generally, and for that purpose had measured some three hundred of them in various parts of Australia. He came to Australia in 1904, and _ first settled in Brisbane, where he made the acquaintance of Dr. Roth, who _ placed his great collection of skulls at his dis- posal. In making his investigations he had also received great assistance from the Governments of New South Wales and Queensland. The Government of the latter State had furnished him with a vessel in which he had circumnavi- gated Australia, and also made a trip to Java. The Professor then proceeded to speak at some length on the results of his ex- amination of the aboriginal skulls, and pointed out in the diagrams projected on a sereen the remarkable prominence about the eyes, which was a point of re- semblance to the fossil skulls of the earliest period found in Europe. He then directed the attention of the audi- ence to reproductions of photographs of natives taken in various parts of the continent. The first group shown was one of Archer River natives, whom he described as fine athletically-built men, and very intelligent. He found them, he said, good material for investigation, but encountered great difficulties at the outset. He succeeded, however, in win- ning their confidence by performing an operation on an old woman, and thence- forward all was plain sailing. The mis- sionaries living amongst the people ap- peared to the professor to have anything but a pleasant time of it, and he won- dered very much how they continued to live there. After alluding to the fact that polished stone implements were rarely found in that particular part of Australia, the Professor described the danger which he incurred in digging open a grave in order to obtain a skeleton. The blacks threatened to spear him; and to quote the professor’s own words: “I left the place very quickly one day, and since rhen I have been more careful whenever I have opened a grave.” The people in that part of Queensland were dying out rapidly. They lived very frequently with Chinese, who introduced opium among them, with fatal effects. The ntroduction of the drug was prohibited by law, but the law went for nothing. The missionaries did their best for the unfortunate people, but had not re- ceived the assistance they deserved. The natives inhabiting the region in the vicinity of the Bellender Ker Mountains were of a superior type. They were intelligent enough, and assisted the whites in gold-mining. It was quite erroneous, the Professor declared, to think them incapable of working. The facial characteristics of those people strongly resembled those of the peoples of the Northern Territory, and of N.W. Australia; a fact which, to his mind, in- dicated that they had all sprung from the same primitive stock. In this dis- trict Professor Klatsch was successful in obtaining possession of a mummified corpse, and the means to which he had resource constituted a quaint piece of comedy. He went to interview the relatives of the departed with his pockets full of tobacco, ete:, and made an offer for the mummy. The weed appealed to the young members of the family, but the mother strongly objected to the whole proceeding. However, material prevailed over sentimental considera- tions, and the professor obtained posses- sion of the mummy, But even then he was not out of the wood, for next day the young people, instigated by the im- portunate mcther, demanded the return of the body. It was then the professor’s turn; he demanded the refund of the tobacco, and before anything further eventuated, left the district. _Leaving Queensland, the Professor con- tinued his investigations in West Aus- tralia, visiting Broome and Wyndham. Ths jatter place was rather notorious, ani unfavourably so, on account of the blacks in that district having been ill- treated by the whites. In the words of the Professor, Wyndham was in the stage in which Tasmania was between 1820 and 1830. A black war was going on there: ‘where there was an enormous number of blacks, and in consequence of the trouble with the whites, it was impossible to approach them. They regarded every white man, if a little better dressed than usual, as a policeman, and to them a XXVli policeman was a dangerous animal. They made a distinction between a policeman and an ordinary white man. The Port Darwin natives were next the subject of the Professor’s observations. It would, he said, be a great pity ‘to allow them to die out. They were able to work, and of them it could be safely said that they had a future. He con- cluded his very interesting account of his experiences by desvribing his visit to Melville Island. Mr. Alex. Morton, after alluding to some of the Professor’s theories, said that 1t was quite possible that he would return to Hobart again, and deliver his lecture in a more popular form to a mixed audience, and also to gchool children. Dr. Delany moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer. There were two points on which Dr. Klatsch had borne strong testimony; one was the ill-treatment of the natives by the whites; the other was the admirable woik done amongst the blacks by the missionaries of all denomi- nations. The vote of thanks was carried by ac- clamation. Dr. Klatsch, in returning thanks, said his reason for desiring to deliver a popu- Jar lecture was that he was convinced that the ill-treatment of the natives was in the main the outcome of ignorance. XXVlil OPENING OF THE 1907 SESSION. ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS APRIL 29th, INVENTIONS aND DISCOVERIES FOR THE YEAR. The opening meeting for session 1907 of the Royal Society of Tasmania was held on April 29th. His Excellency the Governor, Sir Gerald Strickland, presi- dent of the society, occupied the chair, and was accompanied by the Lady Ede- line Strickland, and attended by Mr. George Browne, I.8.0. Apologies were read from the Mayor, Colonel Legge. and Mx. Bernard Shaw ; also from the secretary (Mr. Alex. Mor- ton), who, to the regret of everybody, is still laid up with illness. Mr. R. M. Johnston, the acting sec- retary, feelingly alluded to Mr. Mor- ton’s absence. This was the first occa- sion, he said, on which Mr. Morton had been absent at the opening even- ing meeting of the session for twenty-four years. Not only this society, but kindred societies and insti- tutions owed a great deal to Mr. Mor- ton’s great energy, skill, and noble self- sacrifice. (Anplause.) He trusted their esteemed secretary would soon be restor- ed to health to resume his noble work of the past 24 years for this and other in- stitutions in the community. (Applause.) The President’s Speech. The President, who was cordially re- ceived, said : — Mr. Vice-President, Ladies, and Gentle men,— It is usual to open the annual session of the Royal Society of Tasmania by re- viewing topics of scientific interest, which have deserved attention in the previous twelve months, and to inquire how far new discoveries in mechanics, engineer- ing, and the arts, may- have a special bearing on the future progress of this State. At present the economic conditions of Tasmania are decidedly prosperous, not only on account of good agricultural re- turns from wool and apples, but largely on account of the continued high prices of metals. It has been suggested .that the high price for all other metals neces- sarily involves a corresponding fall in the value of gold. This rudimentary 1907. proposition requires qualification; for ex- - ample, in a country where all the cur- rency is paper money, the economic law would not hold good. Interest-bearing money has been cur- rent within recent history, and although such issues are theoretically reprehen- sible, there is evidence that a system approaching closely to interest-bearing paper money is looming large in our own times, under the guise of short-dated Treasury Bills, and of short-dated notes of railways or other commercial under- takings with current and established credit. The London County Council has indulged in this form of finance to the extent of some four or five million sterl- ing, and paid interest as high as six per cent. It is reported that already, for this year, in the United States, 165,750,000 dollars worth of short term notes have been placed with the public at rates varying from 44 to 64 per cent. The spread of this system of finance—and it is likely to last—accounts, probably, for the inflation of all prices, more than any superabundance of the stock of gold. © Moreover, operations in short dated paper on a large scale tend to show that titles or credit are taking the place of gold, to some extent, as the medium of exchange. These short dated notes are, in fact, for practical purposes almost equivalent to cash in the settlement of bank balances involving large transac- tions. They are indulged in because gold is scarce, and thereby the demand for gold, and for other metals, becomes more eager, and steadier; from this point of view the new development of finance enhances the future prospects of Tasmania’s mining all round. The great increase in the value of iron, and of iron ores, is also of good promise to this community. This rise has, possibly, come to stay, and we should lose no time in opening up our rich deposits of iron. In the year under review, there has been great practical advance in continu- ous processes for the manufacture of iron and steel, and for the application of electricity to this object. An important factor in this general rise in prices of metals is the great prosperity which the leading civilised nations are enjoying in a period of profound peace; aS an ex- ample of the connection between general prosperity, and the demand for metals, Xxix would mention that, in America alone, 53,000,0001b. of copper is the estimated requisition for telephone extension _ by the Bell Telephone Company alone. For three office buildings in New York 2,450,0001b. of copper are required this year. Similar causes operate to keep up the value of lead, zinc, tin, and other metals. The very vigorous advance of the Japanese adds to the demand for metals. China is also really rubbing her eyes, and is almost awake. Africa 1s being civilised very rapidly. South Amer- ica 18 more and more progressive, and is moving towards a general adoption of metallic currency, in place of a_bank- note circulation. Under these circum- stances the prices of metals are likely to continue on the upward grade; especi- ally if wages do not alter appreciably. Tasmania has not got an agricultural college, but we enjoy great indirect ad- vantages from the training given to Tas- manians at the Hawkesbury College, in New South Wales, and in other similar institutions on the mainland; the bene- fits conferred by such institutions, which are most scientifically and practically managed, cannot be overrated. The Hawkesbury College has already been re- cognised as deserving of imitation by Japan and South Africa, and simliar col- leges are fast growing up all over the world. King Victor Emanuel has given a private estate, worth £12,000 a year, for this work in Italy. Not only is accurate knowledge thus disseminated, but useful plants are discovered and im- proved, and, what is more to the point, these discoveries are ungrudgingly dis- seminated and exchanged. The greatest recent scientific novelty for the benefit of agriculture is the successful extraction from the air of nitrogen and nitric acid, at prices which compete, commercially, with the nitrates imported from Chili, as a basis of arti- ficial fertilisers. In this connection we May remember that Tasmania offers pro- mising sources of water-power for the extraction of these nitrates by electricity. It has often been a matter of dispute whether birds do more harm than good, from the agricultural point of view; to solve this problem, and distinguish the useful from the pernicious birds, system- atic observations have been made of the contents of the stomachs of various kinds of birds. It has thus been ascertained which species live on fruit and grain, and which birds live on insect pests, at different seasons, in America. In order that such observations should be reli- able, they should be repeated in Tas- mania, for the protection of the friends of the orchardists, and to indicate emeed pilferers that deserve extermina- ion. The dimensions of the great transatlan- tic steamers of the Cunard Company were brought to your notice last year ; these great vessels are to enter on regu- lar work this season, and there is reason to believe the guaranteed speed will be largely exceeded. These gigantic steam- ers interest Tiaasmania, inasmuch as they hasten the day when large turbine vessels will be coming south of the Line, and when their owners will realise that Ho bart is the most suitable deep-water har- bour to be their headquarters, as a centre of distribution. Mr. Parsons has already proposed to follow up his success with a turbine ves- sel, for war purposes, of 80,000 horse- power, to achieve 44 knots on a displace- ment of 2,800 tons. A German company has given an order to a Belfast firm to build a steamer still larger than the great Cunarders. The year under review has been_ re- markable for wonderful progress with in- ternal combustion engines operated by oil ov by gas made in producers attached to the engines. The small manufac- turer and the agriculturist finds these handy prime motors to be of great assist- ance in starting new industries. New factories, making gas and oilengines have been springing up all over Great Britain; nevertheless, they have been overcrowded with orders. Traction engines have late- ly been built, carrying enough oil and cooling water for 24 hours’ work. Port- able gas producer plants, with engines on the same frame, are making headway, and traction engines on this principle are in contemplation. The thermal efficiency of a recent gas engine is reported to have reached 42 per cent., which contrasts most fayour- ably with the 10 per cent. efficiency of the steam engine. A marine engine of 8,500 horse-power, to be worked by producer gas, is under consideration, and a battleship has been designed to be propelled by gas engines, so as to dispense with stokers, funnels, and smoke. High authorities have expressed the opinion that gas-driven turbines were unworkable on account of the destruc- tively high temperature .of operation; but M. Armengand and M. Lemale, in France, and Dr. Stolze, in Germany, have advanced the problem to a practical stage. There is now near Paris a 500 horse-power gas-driven turbine running, which promises developments likely to be most welcome in the waters of the Der- went and the Huon, where a supply of _ anthracite is being opened out, and where gentlemen are eager to run their own yachts, and where everything that sim- plifies transit on the water gives added life to trade, and greater resources to settlers. The gas turbine would reduce coal consumption by one-half at least. XXX Mechanical flight has been publiciy achieved in Paris by M. Santos Dumont and by M. Fillippe. But the honour of being the first to solve this classical pro- blem of mechanics belongs to the Wright brethers, of Drayton, in the United States of America. These brothers fol- lowed up diligently for years the gliding experiments of Lilenthal, which consisted in maintaining a balance soaring down a gentle declivity on a double-inclined plane. The Wright brothers thus ac- quired the art of controlling their equili- brium on a machine heavier than air, and, having thus diminished the personal danger of the experiment, they applied a motor to their aeroplane, and made six recorded flights, ranging from 11 to 25 miles. They are mechanics by profession, and, desiring to obtain a well-deserved pecuniary reward for their labours, they ceased experiments as soon as they had solved the steering problem, so as to evade the photographer and others who might interfere with their obtaining pat- ents, or keeping their secrets. The American Government appears to have stepped in, and prevented any offer of the invention to some foreign power, s) as to retain the services of the Wright brothers, and their future inventions for national purposes. The Wright brothers have since constructed a lighter and more powerful motor, and it is hoped that they will compete for some of the prizes re- cently offered for the navigation of the air. The total of these prizes now aggre- gates between £60,000 and £70,000. M. Santos Dumont only flew 680ft. at 22 miles an hour, but he has just com- pleted a new machine with a 100 horse- power engine, and, if he knows how to eep his balance as well as the Wright brothers, he appears to have many great prizes within his grasp, as it is doubtful whether the American Government will allow the Wright brothers to compete. The latest victory over the air, accord- ing to Reuter’s Paris correspondent, is operated by diminishing the pressure over the curved surfaces of an aeroplane, using rotating wings above it, s0 that considerable weights are supported in the air with little effort. There is a feature in this development which is specially interesting to Tasmanians. Many months before this announcement appeared, Pro- fessor McAulay, of our University, in a scientific discussion on the problem of flight, expressed an opinion that the soiu- tion would be found precisely in the way in which M. Fillipe has made progress. This is not the first time that genius has worked independently, on the same lines, in different parts of the world. But, the question suggests itself, How de flying machines affect the material progress of Tasmania? It is anticipated that these machines, in the near future, will not cost more than a first-class motor-car; they will, therefore, make it easy for the prospector for minerals, and for the surveyor looking after the inter- ests of closer settlement, to begin his work with a survey from aloft, instead of cutting his way through dense bush; and when he has discovered something good, he will not find it so difficult to keep in contact with civilisation. Wireless telegraphy concerns “Tas- mania, because we hope to see this means of communication become cheap, simple, and efficient, so that it may be extended t» the outlying islands of this State with- out delay. ‘Several new systems have been lately developed, and the difficulty of interference has practically been con- quered. A case is reported from Paris of a youth and a maiden using an extemporis- ed private wireless installation for amor- ous correspondence, unknown to their parents, which, in France, was looked upon as more awful than it would have appeared in an Anglo-Saxon community. Ia Germany wireless telephony has been successfully accomplished at a distance of 20 miles. This fact is, however, of little, if any, practical utility. Photo- graphs have also been transmitted or re- produced as line drawings by electricity. Wireless telegraphy has been adopted in Brazil to maintain communication across tracts of bush country where the upkeep of telegraph lines would be ex- pensive. company in America has started wireless communication with Scotland. Its first high iron support for the aerial wire has been blown down, but the promoters have not lost heart, and are re-erecting it. The development of motor traffic may be illustrated by an order of four thou- sand cabs to run in the streets of Lon- don. These will be provided with “taxi- meters,” which will. indicate at a glance the distance and the fare as they pro- gress. The fare is now fixed at 8d. a mile. In America motors have been applied for logging, a precedent which might, in some situations, be worthy of attention in Tasmania, ‘The use of alcohol for driving motors and for other industrial purposes is now well established in Am- erica and in Germany. In the latter country denaturalised alcohol for such purposes is sold at 8d. a gallon. In the construction of lighthouses, a novelty comes from America, where a lighthouse has been built on a massive iron foundation, which was towed to the spot, to be sunk there and filled with concrete. The method might be applic- able to some localities on our _ coasts where breakwaters are required. The demands on the Niagara Falls for electric power have been increasing, and have developed a curious problem with regard to the current transported across xxxl the Customs border, between the United States and Canada, a strong agitation having arisen to charge duty on the cur- rent for the protection of local industry. Power has been carried all the way from Niagara to Toronto. It is proposed to carry power from the Zambesi River, some 700 miles to the gold mines of Jo- hannesburg. We should inquire why Tas- mania does not develop her water-power ? The earthquakes in San Francisco and Jamaica have given prominence to the advantages of “‘ferro-concrete,”’ or struc- tures of light iron framing, carefully proportioned to resist tensile strains, embedded in well-made and _ properly- seasoned concrete, so as to withstand compression strains. ‘This combination, if properly designed, is both fireproof and earthquake-proof, and, by reason of its fire-resisting properties, it is receiv- ing attention all over the world. A great bridge, 2,800ft. in length, has been built over the St. Lawrence, at Quebec, in Canada, with a central span of 1,800. This is the greatest span yet attempted. A generation ago few would have dreamed that it would ever be want- ed. It would about represent a connec- tion over the Derwent from Queen’s Battery to Montagu Point. In no part of the world are the ocean waves so long as in Australian seas on account of the large unbroken expanse ot deep ocean facing our shores. It is, therefore, interesting to record some ac- curate measurements that have been made of ocean waves by M. Bertin. The longest wave measured was 2,500ft. from crest to crest, and its period 23 seconds. The depth of this wave was estimated at 50ft. Waves longer than this may be met in the southern seas, but they are rare, and the common span of a long ‘wave is about 500ft., and the period 10 seconds. When a wave coming from deep water strikes an elevation in the sea bot- tom its character is quite altered, and green seas are known have risen to the height of 100ft. A great engineering work has just been completed by English contractors in Mexico — a railway with harbours at either end across the Isthmus of Tehuan- tepec. This line is about 190 miles long, from the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea. It was projected when the cutting of the Panama Canal seemed abandoned, and it has been completed, with the object of direct competition, by low _ freights, against the Panama route. The use of the most modern appliances for tran- shipment has been adopted at the ter- minal harbours. This enterprise is of interest to Tasmania, because it opens the wealthy gulf ports of the United States to the Tasmanian apple trade, and it facilitates carriage to the whole Atlan- tic seaboard, pending completion of the Panama Canal. The work undertaken by the Unitea States on the Isthmus of Panama has been under the personal care of President Roosevelt. The difficulties and disap- pointments already encountered would have discouraged almost any other living man, but now the work is really progress- ing, and the engineers working on the Isthmus feel confident that success is within sight. The plan finally adopted is for a canal with locks at a level of 85ft. above the sea, and at a cost of £30,000,000 sterling. It is estimated that the work will require eight years. canal at sea level would possibly have re- quired twice the time and double the money. The completion of this canal is most important for the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon race in the Pacific. ith regard to railway construction, the popularity of the motor coach ap- pears established. In Germany, it suggested the convenience of stopping along the railway at customers’ resi- dences along the line, as a tram would do. This system, called the ‘“‘Halte sys- tem,” has much to recommend it in new countries in course of development. The construction of railway carriages for ex- press service, made entirely of steel, has proved to be a great protection against the results of railway accidents, these vehicles being proof against fire, and al- most proof against any break up. In naval construction, the British Dreadnought has marked a new epoch, and placed all former specimens of naval architecture almost out of date. She carries ten 12in. guns, and can steam at least 21 knots. A cruiser has just been launched, of the ‘Invincible’ class, to steam 25 knots, and carry eight 12in. guns; she will probably steam 26 knots, or more. Against such craft, torpedo boats and destroyers will be of little use. A tor- pedo boat has, even at njght, to over- haul such a fast cruiser before launch- ing a torpedo, and, at 2,000 yards, an 18in. Whitehead (with all the gyroscopes in the world) is only running at 22 knots. The chance of a stern chase is, there- fore, very small indeed. The new American 2lin. torpedoes, with turbine machinery, can do 36 knots at 1,200 yards; but even at that speed the fast cruiser would only be vulner- able if approached at close range. It, therefore, appears that, except for at- tacks on battle fleets at anchor, or against ironclads crippled after an en- gagement the submarine, or submersible boat, has already taken the place of the destroyer for up-to-date coast defence. The gun trialsof the Dreadnought are reported te have shown that, in her de- sign, the extreme offensive power obtaia- able with 12-inch guns has been reached, so that the new English battleships are to XXXll carry 13}-inch guns, throwing a shell of 1,2501b., and weighing 85 tons. When we remember that the Dread- nought was only commissioned some six months ago, and that it is only a year and a half since the commencement of her building, we may realise how soon a warship becomes superseded, and how easy it is for money to be wasted on naval construction. At the German military manceuvres there was a great display before the Em- peror of armoured motors. carrying field guns. They negotiated ascents of one in seven and a half, and proved able to go over any but the most difficult country. In conclusion, I venture to congratu- late Tasmania on the interest which the press of this State, both North and South, has been showing in scientific subjects. The numerous articles and paragraphs which are constantly and pe- riodically appearing are selected and re- produced with great judgment, and in a manner to command general interest with students of nature and of mechanical invention. The Royal Society may justly ascribe to itself some credit for having made at- tention to scientific subjects both popu- lar and practical in this island. I trust this career of usefulness may long con- tinue, and that in this noble and elevat- ing work the most valuable and devoted services of our secretary, Mr. Morton, may long be spared, and that his recovery may be rapid and complete. (Warm &pplause.) Mr. G. E. Moore, M.H.A., in the dis- ‘cussion which was invited, said that the reason why Tasmania did not use her water-power was that she had no water- falls, though she had sufficiently large bodies of water: but, in places, watertalls might be constructed. The discovery of making nitrogen from the air might be developed here with cheap water power. Ten thousand horse-power might be developed in one part of Tas- mania that he knew of. Mr. Clemes said he was intensely in- terested in the speech. The production of nitrogen from the air referred to in the address was an extremely interesting subject, and was calculated to effect wonders in connection with the culti- vation of the land. There was sufficient material in the address for hours of dis- cussion. (Applause.) Senator Mulcahy refrred to what the President had said respecting iron pro- duction, and mentioned that in Tasma- nia, on the Blythe River, there was what experts pronounced to be one of the finest iron ore propositions in the world, and no doubt, sooner or later, it would leau to extensive iron and steel manufacture in Tasmania. As to water power, there were in Tasmania large bodies of water at high altitudes, which, according to reports of hydraulic engi- neers, might easily be tapped, namely, in the Lake districts. He believed that when the value of cheap water power was better understood in Tasmania, the State would become one of the best manufacturing States of the Common- wealth. (Aponlause.) Mr. A. G. Webster moved a hearty vote of thanks to His Excellency for pre- siding, and delivering such an interest- ing address on scientific progress and speculation during the year. The motion was passed with applause, and His Excellency briefly acknowledged the compliment. . Mr. R. M. Johnston proposed a hearty vote of thanks to lady members of the Hamilton Literary Society for kindly providing the refreshments, which would be served at the close of the meet- ing. and this was passed with acclama- tion. The proceedings then terminated, and those present adjourned to the main hall of the Museum building, where the la- dies of the society already named very nicely served refreshments. XXX1ii MAY 14th, 1907. A meeting of the Royal Society was held on May 14 at the Tasmanian Museum. His Excellency Sir Gerald Strickland pre- sided, and there was a large attendance of members and others. The chief interest of the meeting centred on a paper by Dr. F. Noetling on “The Stone Implements of the Tasmanian Aborigines’; but before the lecturer was called on to favour mem- bers with his views on this subject, some preliminary business was transacted. Messrs. A. J. Taylor, L. Brownell, C. E. Webster, and the. Rev. J. Heyer were elected members of the society. The Acting Secretary (Mr. R. M. John- ston) read a circular which had been re- ceived through the Government Geologist (Mr. W. H. Twelvetrees), inviting the so- ciety to send a delegate to London to take rt in the centenary celebrations of the eological Society of London in Septem- ber next. Mr. A. O. Green suggested that Mr. R. M. Johnston be asked to undertake the representation of the society, and that the society should take steps to enable him to visit London for that purpose. Than Mr. Johnston no one was more capable of adequately representing Tasmanian sci- ence. He moved,—‘‘That a deputation wait on the Government and obtain for Mr. Johnston permission to visit London for the purpose named,”’ Mr. A. G. Webster seconded the mo tion. Mr. Johnston, he thought, would be an admirable representative of the so- ciety, and would be greatly benefited by a rest from his arduous labours. The motion was carried unanimously. Sir Elliott Lewis suggested that the deputation should consist of the council of the society, or such members as it might appoint. He understood that Mr. Johnston was entitled under the Civil Ser- vice regulations to six months’ leave of absence on full pay, or 12 months on half- pay. Mr. Johnston thanked the society for the compliment which had been paid him. He would be only too pleased to represent the society in London; but it was ques- tionable whether satisfactory arrange ments could be made for his absence from his departmental duties for a period of six months. He would place himself in the hands of the society and of the Go- vernment. XXXIV JUNE 1ith, 1907. The monthly meeting of the Royal Society was held at the Tasmanian Museum on Tuesday night. His Excel- lency the Governor, Sir Gerald Strick- land, presided. The acting-secretary (Mr. R. M. John- ston) reported that he had accepted the appointment as delegate to represent the society at the centenary of the London Geological Society. His Excellency remarked that the so- ciety was fortunate in having such an authority on geology as Mr. Johnston to represent it in London. They were in debted to Mr. Johnston for having under- taken to represent the society. Mr. Johnston informed the meeting that the society had received an invita- tion to send a representative to Boston to take part in the Zoological Congress in August. He added that he would be able so to arrange his itinerary as to be present in Boston in August. Further, he suggested that Mr. McNaghten, who was formerly in Tasmania, and now at Montreal, might also be asked to repre- sent the society. On the motion of Mr. A. O. Green, Mr. Johnston and Mr. McNaghten were appointed delegates to the Boston Con- gress. NOTE ON THE BEN LOMOND PLAT- BAU, AND THE DISCOVERY OF HIGH LAND AT THE NORTH END.* Mr. E. L. Piesse, B.Se., read the fol- lowing paper by Colonel W. V. Legge, late Tye F.R.G.S., on the Ben Lomond Plateau, and the discovery of the high land at the north end. It seems desirable that the ‘Royal Society Journal’? should contain some preliminary notes on my forthcoming treatise on the physiography of Ben Lomond for the meeting at Adelaide of the A.A.A. Science, the principal object of this paper being to give an ac count of the discovery, of higher land than the bluff or fell on which the ordnance survey’ trigonometri- cal station is situated. It is with this view, therefore, that I have the piea- sure of submitting the following short acccunt of the work done in March, 1906 by a small expedition which I formed fov the examination of the plateau at the north end. Little or nothing has been known scientifically of this part of Ben Lomond. It is never visited by tourists being too remote from the trig. sta- tion, Suniel is approached from the Avoca direction only. Hunters are said to oc- casionally ascend from the valley of the North Esk, and very rarely from the Mathinna country; but, on the whole, this area is as untrodden as the distant ranges oi the West Coast. The Ben Lomond Fell is a remarkahbie prominence in the escarpment of the southern end of the plateau, standing 200ft. above the surrounding erags, and has all the appearance, both from the low country and the adjacent ‘trough’ valley and moor belts, lying to the north of it on the plateau, of being the highest part of the range. Hence, presumably, the reason that it was originally chosen as the position for a “‘pile” to connect the mountain with the triangulation to the west of it. Looking north from the summit of this fell, the great moorland, which for the first five miles consists of generally level belts, seamed by long valleys, is seen to be divided by a deep transverse valley running from east to west, from a lofty upland, which rises near its centre to a north and south crest-line. A con- spicuous hollow, passing to the north through this elevated track, gives addi tional prominence to it. The southern slopes of the hill, moreover, descend ab- ruptly into the cross valley, and give this central group a generally elevated appearance. So marked is this that tour- ists viewing it from the trigonometricat station have often expressed the opinion that it was higher than the ground on which they stood. The strongest support, however, of this hypothesis has for many years been afforded to the writer by a study of the climatology of the pleateau and particularly the high north end in question from his home, near St. Mary’s from which point of view the whole range is clearly seen. The trequent cloud-capping of this tract prior to the advent of strong, and often damp, north -westerly winds, the southern end being, at the same time, free from all mist; earlier covering at the commencement of generally cloudy conditions throughout the district; heavy snowfalls in this part when the south of the plateau is almost free from a white mantle; and, finally, a much longer duration of snow during the _ general spring melting—have all tended for years to convince the writer that the north end is the higher area of the great moun- tain. Hence the formation of a _ project after the conclusion of the congress of [ *Submitted for reading at the meeting in November last, when Professor Baldwit Spencer gave his lecture, but withdrawn by the writer, as no local matter was considered at that function. The paper is now _ re-sub- mitted, as the treatise on the Ben Lomond Plateau, read at Adelaide, is not yet pub- lished. ] XXXV the A.A.A. of Science at Dunedin to carry out an exploration of the entire plateau, investigate the physiography of the moorland, and make a compass, or plane-table, topographical survey of its area. The easiest approach to the sum- mit from the eastern districts being by way of Mangana, it was decided to carry out the work from that side. A thermo- metrical station for finding maximum and minimum temperatures was _ estab- lished on the moorland, at the rear of the south-eastern corner of the escarp- ment during the month of Beptens) et, 1905, and in January, 1906, a base for triangulation of the southern area was laid out with the help of Mr. D. Mac- leod, of Mangana, on a flat part of the moor contiguous to the station.