Early Scientific Journals in Victoria
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On 10 May 1855, while the Blundell advertisement cited above was still running, The Melbourne Morning Herald (p. 6) also published a detailed account of the meeting of "The Melbourne Philosophical Society" held on 8 May. From the account it is obvious that the meeting was that of the Philosophical Society of Victoria. At the meeting the secretary, Mr. Wekey, was queried about the publication of the society's transactions. He replied ". . . that several of the papers are already in type, but that they would not be printed off before the first of June next, being the time up to which subscribers' names will be received . . . " This reply confirms the imminence of publication indicated by the advertisement but makes no mention of publication in parts.
In The Argus, for 7 August 1855, p. 7, James J. Blundell & Co. announced that "The First Volume of "Transactions of the Philosophical Society" will leave the press in a few days. It will contain, the papers and proceedings of the Society for the year ending July, 1855 . . . Subscribers' names will be received till . . . the 15th inst., by the publishers . . ." The date for the receipt of subscriptions therefore had been extended beyond the date given in the original Blundell advertisement and the complete Vol. 1. would not have been published until after subscriptions closed on 15 August 1855. The paragraphs below show that publication was delayed until September.
On 6 September 1855 (CM2) "A letter from L. Becker Esq. was read . . . requesting that his two papers on "viviparous" fishes to be read at the next monthly meeting of the Philosophical Institute, be printed in the first volume of the Transactions of the Philosophical Society . . . [Council decided that] as the paper had not been read as yet, it could not be published in the forthcoming volume of the Transactions of the Philosophical Society." The complete Vol. 1. was therefore not yet published by 6 September 1855 but was apparently very close to being published, thus prompting Becker's request. Although his papers were read at a monthly meeting of the Philosophical Institute on the following day (PM2, xiv) their publication was still held over, thus reinforcing the above suggestion that publication of the complete volume was very soon after 6 September 1855.
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Philosophical Society of Victoria
People in Bright Sparcs - Becker, Ludwig
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Royal Society of Victoria |  |
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