'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎92] (113/458)

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 12.
Xfcii
‘ From Muscat, for June, July, August and September.
From Vizagapatam, for October.
After voting their best thanks to the several gentlemen, for their very valuable presents to the
Library, the Meeting adjourned.
The Bombay Geographical Society held its Ordinary Monthly Meeting on the I2th Feb.: present,
Commander G. Jenkins, I. N., senior member, in the chair ; Mr. Malet, Secretary to Govern
ment; Mr. J. Smith, merchant;Lieut E.F. T. Fergusson, I. N., in charge of Observatory; Mr.
N.‘Oliver, Assistant Master-Attendant; R. Haines, EBq.,M. b. ; Yenayekrao Jugonnathjee, Esq.;
and Dr. G. Buist and Professor J. Patton, Secretaries. The minutes of last meeting were read
and approved of. The motion of Mr. Smith, brought before last meeting, on the subject of
recent maps and charts, including the newest information in the Polar Seas and around
California, was considered a notice, and the motion was put and agreed to. Mr.‘Smith gave
notice of a motion for the purchase of the Blue Books of 1848 and 1851, published by the
Admiralty, on the subjects of Polar discovery ; and the Secretary stated that although in point of
form this must be put at next meeting, he would venture, on his own responsibility, on including
the two orders in one, trusting to the motion being agreed to next meeting : a month would
thus be saYed Mr. Remington was unanimously elected a member of the Society.
The papers of Dr. Buist on the Volcanoes of India, formerly laid before the Society and
referred to the Committee on papers,-*-with the'one on the Geology of Bombay,-—recommend
ed by the Committee to the Society, were directed to be published. Dr. Buist laid before'the
meeting a box of specimens illustrative of the Geology of Bombay, and stated that a number of
similar boxes had been made up for the service of those desiring them. They were kept within
such size that two of them might be carried on a bullock, or one transported on the head of a
'Boolie. They were each divided into twenty-eight compartments, each compartment contaih
ing one or more specimens carefully'packed and labelled. The paper before them would form
a companion for the boxes for Bombay. An officer proceeding to Scinde, Kolapore, or the
Deccan, might provide himself with a box of the specimens belonging to the locality, which
would thus furnish him with a key to the rocks in the neighbourhood : and so with any other
quarter to which he might propose proceeding. No man could carry with him a complete
suite of geological specimens for the purposes of research-^—those of the district were enough.
The collections were specially intended for the Indian Navy, the Quarter. Master-General^
and Revenue Departments or any other, the officers under which were engaged in survey or
out-of-door work. They were made'up at the School ofTndustry, and supplied at five Rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
each; box and specimens included,—thus allowing a small profit to the charity.
Mr. Patton laid before the Society some interesting observations on the moisture contained
in the atmosphere under different pressures and temperatures, especially in relation to the
formulae of Apjohn, Dove, and Glaisher, by which the fact was ascertained.
Dr. Buist made some remarks on the remarkable elevation of the Barometer all over India ia
the end of January and beginning of February, which seemed to occur near the change of the
moon. This had been observed continually over a period of eight years at Calcutta, Madras,
and Bombay, Trevandrum and Lucknow-—at all the stations, in fact, where good observations
were obtained. It was near the period of greatest cold, but not at all coincident with it: it
occurred very often about the time of the fall of rain, and at all the points just named almost
simultaneosly ,* the mercury springing up by nearly a-tenth of an inch, and then descending as
suddenly as it rose. A large mass ef figure tables and diagrams were placed before the Society
on the subject.