o^A7 ' FOR THE PEOPLE FOK EDVCATION FOP. SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ROYAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA. TRANSACTIONS PBOCESDINGS OF THE §0pl %mi\i 0f firtoria;. JANUAKY, 1866, TO JUKE, 1866. VOL. YII. Edited under the Authority of the Coujicil of the Society, BY The Hoxoeaby Secretary, THOS. H. RAWLINGS, Esq. THE AUTHORS OF THE SEVERAL PAPERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SOU>-BNESS OF THE OPIXIOXS GITEN AND OF THE ACCrRACY OF THE STATEMENTS MADE THEREIN. MELBOURNE : WILSON & MACKINNON, PEINTERS, COLLINS STREET EAST. Issued Octoher, 1866. AGENTS TO THE SOCIETY. WlLLIASIS AND NORGATE, 14, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON. To whom communications for transmission to tlie Royal Society of Victoria from all parts of Eiu-ope should be sent. /t. ^^^^{9^o4-pi-f^ PREFACE, The Seventh Volume of the "Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria/' now issued to the Members, brings the Proceedings of the Society to the close of the first six months of 1866. It also embraces the Address of the President for this year, delivered on the 2nd July. It will be seen that many of the papers are of con- siderable importance, both in their value as contributions to the literature of science, and also from their relation to a young colony, of which so much has yet to be learned. The Council for the present year earnestly desire to continue the publication of the Transactions, by the issue of quarterly parts ; but such a proceeding, involving as it does a large expenditure of money, together with a con- siderable amount of labour, can only be accomplished by the co-operation of the body of members. If those entrusted with the government of the Royal Society obtain that assistance, there is no reason to fear that the Papers will ever fall into the arrear from which they are now brought by the publication of the present volume. Royal Society of Victoeia, Melbourne, dOth Sei^temher, 1866. C N T E N T S LIST OF OFFICE-BEARERS & PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES. PAGES Office-Bearers, 1865 3 President's Address, 1865 5—14 Office-Bear.ris, 1866 ... 111 President's Address, 1866 113-130 TRANSACTIONS, 1865. Art. I. Victoria as a Field for Geologists, by TnoiiAS Harrison, Esq 15-29 II. On the Probable Erosion of the Mountain Ranges of Gipps Land, by Thomas E. Rawlinso:??, Esq., C.E. ... 29-34 HI, On the Skeleton of the Gorilla, by George B. Halford, ^I D., Professor of Anatomy, Melbourne University 34-44 IV. On the Discovery of Cretaceous Fossils in Australia, by Frederick M'Coy, Professor of Natural Science in the University of Melbourne, Government Pale- ontologist, and Director of the National Museum of Victoria, &c. ... 49-51 V. On the Desirability of Establishing the Geographical and Ethnographical Section under Law 60, by Thomas E. Rawlinson, Esq., C.E 51—54 VI. Probable Astronomical Causes of the Contortions in Palasozoic Strata, and the prevailing Meridianal Strike of the Older Rocks of Victoria, by Thojias Harrison, Esq 54-64 VII. A Report on the Results of an Exhibition of Gems, both Victorian and Foreign, and Works in the Jeweller's Art, in both Gold and Silver, held in the Hall of the Royal Society of Victoria during the week ending the 6th May, 1865, drawn and presented to the Royal Society by the Rev. J. J, Bleasdale, the President for the current year, 1865 64-92 PROCEEDINGS. 1865 92-108 viii Contents. TRANSACTIONS, 1866. PAGES Aht. I. On Ozone, by R. L. J. Ellery, Esq., F.R.A.S., President of the Royal Society 131—144 II, Grass Tree, by Charles W. Ligae. Esq., Surveyor General of Victoria 145—147 III. Gems and Sapphires, by the Rev. .John J. Bleasdale, D.D 147-149 IV. The Volcanic Rocks of Rome and Victoria compared. By James BoNWiCK, Esq., F.R.G.S 149—165 V. Experiments and Observations on Absorption, by George B. Halford, M.D., Professor of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology, University of Melbourne 165—175 VI. On Differential Elquations and Co-resolvents, by the Honourable Chief .Justice Cockle, F.R.S , Presi- dent of the Queensland Philosophical Society, &c. Communicated by the Honourable Sir Redmond Barry, Chancellor of the University of Melbourne ... 176—196 VII. The Rainfall in Victoria, by R. L. J. Ellert, Esq., F.R.A.S., President of the Royal Society ... ... 197—201 PROCEEDINGS, 1866 203-209 Balance Sheet, 1863 211 List of Members 213—216 fist of ©ffi«-§rarm, PEESIDENT'S ADDRESS, AND TRANSACTIONS FOE THE TEAR 1865. Ilagd Sffmtg 0f §ict0ria< 1865. REV. JOHN J. BLEASDALE, D.D. WuK-'^xtBx^mtB, R. L. J. ELLERY, ESQ., F.R.A.S. CHARLES W. LIGAR, ESQ., Surveyor Gk.\'eral of Victoria. A. K. SMITH, ESQ., C.E. ^xhxnxmx. J. J. STUTZER, ESQ., M.A. (iTustos of €olkttkm. W. H. ARCHER, ESQ. ^ttxttm^. THOxMAS E. RAWLINSON, ESQ., C.E. K Couiml. E. BARKER, ESQ., M.R.C.S. JOSEPH BOSISTO, Esq. W. GILLBEE, Esq., M.R.C.S. W. E. CROOK E, Esq., M.R.C.S. E. VON GUERARD, Esq. J. B. WERE, Esq. FRED. M'COY, Esq., F.G.S., Professor G. B. HALFORD, Esq., M.D., Professor, Nat, Science, University Melbourne. Melbourne University. Hon. D. E. WILKIE, M.D., M.L.C. THOMAS REED, Esq. GEO. LEWIS, Esq. * JAMES BONWICK, Esq., F.G.S. THOS. H. RAWLINGS, Esq., J.P., &c. Mr. James Bonwick was elected 12th June, 1865, on the resignation of Mr. Tlioraas Reed. 0j|al ^0neig d Widoxm. ANNIVERSAHY ADDRESS THE REV. J. J. BLEASDALE D.D. [Delivered to the Members of the Royal Society, at the Anniversary Meeting, held on the 4th May, 1865.] Gentlemen, It has ever been the custom of this Society for the President to deliver an address to the members at the commencement of his year of office. In taking my place this evening among you in the most honorable position to which you could raise me, the more honorable for the great men who have preceded me in it, I feel that many duties commensurate therewith have devolved upon me, and which I hope to be able to fulfil during this year, under the bles- sing of Providence, and with your earnest and generous co-operation. Before entering upon a brief review of the labours of the Boyal Society during the past year, and the advances made by science in the several departments whose objects we embrace, I wiU at the outset invite your attention for a moment to a subject which closely interests us aU, viz., the present position and prospects of the Royal Society itself. 6 Presidents Address For this piu'pose it will be necessary to ask you to go back a few 3^ears, and recall the efforts which were then made by several of our officers and members, and, no doubt, with the best intentions, to swell the list of members, and give the Society all the appearance of a popular and flourishing institution. As a consequence numbers were induced to join, and were duly elected. Not a few of us at the time this was going foi'ward j:)ointedout that "numbers" were not strength in cases like our own. For while some joined with the main view of helping us with their subscriptions, and receiving copies of our Transactions as their only return, many many quite mistaking, or never having had experience of the working and nature of learned societies, were soon disap- pointed, and fell off in their attendance at ooi' monthly meetings on account of the technical nature of the papers read, and the discussions on them, dry and uninteresting in proportion as they are learned, which necessarily fill up the greater portion of the time at our periodical meetings. At one time we seemed strong from the number of members, and the amount of entrance fees and subscriptions ; but ere long it became evident, from the impossibility of rendering owe YHQQimg^ 'popular, as the phrase goes, that the attendance of our non-scientific friends was falling off. Had a record of attendance been kept, it would be at this day a curious and instructive document. Members of this class then became loath to renew their annual subscriptions, and with the falling off in numbers and money, came the cry that the Society itself was doomed. Writers followed writers in the public papers, seemingly to write us out of existence if possible. Latterly they have given it up, whether because they consider it a hopeless task to kill the Society out, or because they have discovered that there is real vitality in the body, now that its adventitious swathings and trappings have been torn off. At different times it has been said that we derived for the year 1865. 7 a sort of vicarious life from one or other great name, which stood in onr foremost rank, or from some happy accident, which, if removed, would cause the whole constitution to fade away into oblivion. The labours of last year, to which I shall soon have to advert, will tell first how the Eoyal Society prospered under a great scientific name ; how we got the measure of our real streng-th when we had come to know the full measure of our weakness ; how we found our feet on firm ground, our knees strong, and our heads clear ; how we made an estimate of our total strength ; and then, gentlemen of the Society, how you dared to commit the destinies of this hopeful year to me and my colleagues in the Council.