Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land. Vol I. Part I. [From the "Anthenæum," November]

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 426, 15 May 1850, Page 3

Papers and Proceedings o f the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land. Vol I. Part I. [From the " Anthenæum," November]

Our duty as reporters oi all visible signs of the progrCBB of intelligence culls on us Cor a notice of Uiu publication. It is plcawnt to find our hrellnen nt I tic aniipodes awakening to the importance of cullu.'iling habits of observation among all clasrss iti tlie.it* »cw and interesting country. The lloyai Sicietyof V.m Dictncn's Land say, nt the conclusion ol'iheir ' Repoit for Ib 48:” '* Almost every one is in possession of some fact or circumstances connected with the natural history and capabilities or resources of the colony known to In self only. Let all throw their individual and peculiar fucts into a common centre— there to become common property — and each individual will be richer by (he ncqaisition ot the new facts of others, without bc:ng impoverished in any degree by having imparted hia o\vn share." This is particulaily tiue as applied to the inhabitants of a new country ; thought it is a truth for tho members of those cotanounUieg also, which crowd the seats of older civilization. The importance of cultivating poweis of observation is admitted — hat the piuaiije of such cultivation is lamentably npgiected. Thai country in which bands of good üb^rvos shall be trained must of necessity in the progress of lime advance beyond all othf rs in commercial prosperity, and take the lead in every movement which depends on the exercise of thought. There appears to be much in the principle on which the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land is c-Üblished that is excellent, we will therefore devote a little spaeo to its consideration. The society was founded, urnler the auspices'of" Sir J. E. Eurdley Wilmoft, in 1843 — and in September 1844* the Queen became its patroness. A grant of £400 a year from the Public Tieasury was confirmed ; and it was thencr forward called " The Royal Society of Van Dieruen'a Litid, for llorticultuie, Botnay, and the Advancement < f Science." The nucleus of a public library has been formed in the Com-mitte-roomat the Legislative Chambeiin llobartTowu. A museum has been commenced, whirh already contains many hundreds of specimens of mineralogy, geology, and various brunches of natuial hihton. The society s gardens are maintained ]a a high 'Ante of ornamental cultivation ; and " the council have sought, by rendering them attractive and throwing them freely open to the public, to diffuse a luve for simple enjoyments, and to establish tastes and habito uf »v laudable and instructive tendency amongst a claes hitherto left to fill up the void of leisuie hours with amusement and gratification derived ofren from questionable, if not objectionable, sources. ''—The old world, it will be scot, mar/ ham something from the neio. The ' Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land' are to be published quarterly. The fust part — which is now before us— contains the Repoits of Joseph Miligan, Reg., Secietaiy of the Society, " On the Coal Basins of Van Dinmen's Land.' These include the Coal Fields of Sehnuten Island— of Whale's Head nnd South Cape— ot Fing.vl and KiM Coast— and of Jerusalem and Richmond. In these Reports, tlie geological features of the districts, the physical chanctci islics cf the ci:bonaceous formations, and the commcicial va'.ue oftbeM)iluminoviB and anthracite coals of each busui aie salisiacti-nly explained after n very careful examination. These Reports «.r« accompanied by sections,— which, owmp to the fault of adopting dillcrcnt vertionl ami hommiiul sciles, tut: calculated to convey a wrong itnjnessioa of the localities represented. Where we have a horizontal section of tho scalp <f 3 inches to the mile, with a vertical scale of 1 00 <C3t to I inch, »t is almost impossible to i educe so exaggei alert a delineation to anything approaching to the t.u t. Tliib w»{» an evil much complained of in tl)e grological sectionb of fornu r limes ; but happily now, in ne.uly all ca 3 es, thebrale". for height nnd distance are abki',— .uid tueir Taluc is thereby much iucrcased. W.j mention this, in ibr hops that in , »11 futu-c suiveys of any of our colonies this system of eraployiflß two scales will l)e ab mdoned. The Royal Society ot Van Diumen's Laid pronmes to be of the utmost importance to thnUMciosling colony. It will no dojbt be the nißans of obtaining information which will prove valuable far beyond the. limits of that luxuuaut ls'and ot the South Pacific Ocean.

No RasiM'XTi'.a or Persons.— A corresp oiuleut of the New Tot ft Knickerbocker says ;—" After the pussengcr-. had retired to their beilhson board the Hendnck Hudson, the following dialogue eusiuvl »» the Mies' cabin, of which the door *as left partly opoa for air. A rheumatic lady and an asthmatic oM lady cou'd not cioh he salisfidd with lefcrcnoe to the tioot. Twy kept singing out in nltematc strains from their uiglncaps, The. rheumatic . •Cha.nberooaid, ah (it that dooi—l bhall dul' The iisthdHtic: ' Chamin>rmai(i, open tliatd»oj~l shall die !' So the contention wen. on for some tune, and thcycJlow mmd, with a baiidmn.i handkerchief on her head, was Uily flmtmtid. At last, mi old gcallcman, who w.tb disturbed by the altercation, sang out from his own berth : ' thAiuucrruaid, foi liwve.i'd wko open th.it door, nnd kill one o* those ladies, aud then shut it, and kill t oilier-