Proceedings of the Royal Society for the month of June, 1884

Abstract

The monthly evening meeting of the Royal Society was held on Monday, June 9, His Honor Mr. Justice Dobson in the chair. Rev. J. B. W. Woollnough, Mr. A. Park, V.S., and Mr. George Hinsby, Hobart, who had previously been nominated by the council, were balloted for, and declared duly elected as fellows of the society. Mr. Fiddian, C.S., India, and Mr. Charpentier, England, were introduced as visitors. The Hon. Secretary (Dr. Agnew) brought forward the usual returns including the time of leafing, flowering, and fruiting of a few standard plants in the Royal Society's Gardens during April, the Meteorological returns from the Government Meteorologist, Hobart, the abstract of meteorological observations, Tasmania, for the quarter ending March, 1884 also the observations for April and May. Includes a list of additions to the Library for the month of April, and a list of presentations to the Museum for the month of April. Extensive discussion was held on the paper read by Mr. T. Stephens, on "Notes on boring operations in search of coal in Tasmania." The Chairman (His Honor Judge Dobson) stated that he wished to bring under the notice of the meeting a subject which he was sure would be of interest to them all he alluded to the wanton and mischievous destruction of the tree ferns at Mount Wellington. Many glens and other localities on the mountain had been utterly robbed of all their beauty and attraction by the stupid destruction of these trees, some of which he had no doubt represented a growth of fifty to a hundred years. He was sorry to say, too, that this desecration was permitted by many of whom better things might have been expected, and, in very many cases for the mere decoration of a ballroom, trees were cut down which we could never hope to see replaced in a lifetime. He thought something might be done to stop this senseless waste of beauty, as far at least as the Mount Wellington Reserve was concerned, by constituting it a people's park, and making it penal to remove ferns or other trees.