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Report of the Second Ordinary Meeting,

The second ordinary monthly meeting of the Queensland Branch of the Geographical Society of Australasia was held in the Museum Library, Brisbane, on Tuesday evening. 7th March, 1886, Mr. W. A. Tully, B.A;. F.R.G S., occupied the chair; and there was a good attendance of ladies and gentlemen.

The hon. Secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting, which were confirmed, and announced the receipt of a valuable map of Tasmania, presented to the Society by Mr. C. P. Sprent. Deputy Commissioner of Crown Lands through the instrumentality of Mr. T. B. Moore.

The Rev. G. Woolnough desired to know whether the Society intended subscribing towards the Forbes exploration fund.

The Chairman said that a Subscription list had been opened by the Royal Society of Queensland with a view to assist Mr. Forbes in his exploration in New Guinea, and thought that the Queensland Branch of the Society might subscribe.

Mr. W. H. Miskin said that he considered Mr. Forbes was to some extent the servant of the Geographical Society of Australasia, inasmuch as he was subsidised by the New South Wales branch of the Society and was under formal agreement with them, and he was not aware that Mr. Forbes had solicited assistance from the Royal Society of Queensland.

The Chairman said it was, he thought, the act of the Secretary of the Royal Society rather than of the Society itself.

Mr. Miskin thought that the subject of assisting with subscriptions would be a matter for the consideration of the Geographical Society of Australasia generally.

Mr. Thomson said that the Secretary of the Royal Society had communicated with him regarding the subscription list opened on behalf of Mr. Forbes, but the communication being informal had precluded its presentation to the Council, and from communications he had seen between Mr. Forbes and Sir Edward Strickland he thought that, some misunderstanding existed between the former gentleman and the Society, and quite agreed with the last speaker, that any assistance should be a matter for the consideration of the Geographical Society of Australasia collectively.

Mr H. H. Romilly, on the invitation of the Chairman, said he had no doubt that Mr. Forbes required assistance, and what Mr. Thomson had said in reference to a misunderstanding between Mr. Forbes and the Society was perfectly true, as he had conversed with Mr. Forbes on the subject.

No action being taken in the matter, the subject dropped.

The following paper was then read by the author:—