Philosophical Society of Australasia (1821 - c. 1825)

Summary

The establishment of the Philosophical Society of Australasia got underway in June-July 1821 in Sydney. It was the first scientific society in the colony of New South Wales. It was also referred to as the Philosophical Society of Australia by some of its members. The small number of members and its lofty ambitions led, in part, to it becoming inactive in 1822 although in 1825 a selection of transactions was published, edited by Judge Barron Field. Sir Thomas Brisbane joined the Society as President in late 1821. The political factions that emerged led to the formation of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales in July 1822. After a lengthy period of inactivity, the Philosophical Society of Australasia was re-established as the Australian Philosophical Society in 1850 which was then remodelled as the Philosophical Society of New South Wales in 1856.

Details

Extract from letter from Michael van Leeuwen to Gavan McCarthy 26 May 2004:

"The Philosophical Society was established in June 1821, with just seven members:
They were:

Judge Barron Field (1786-1846)
Dr Henry Grattan Douglas (1790-1865)
Frederick Goulburn (1788-1837)
John Oxley (1785-1828)
Edward Woolstonecraft (1783-1832)
Captain John Irvine
John Bowman

Governor Brisbane later accepted the position of patron of the Society.

A central initiative of the society was the establishment of a Museum of Natural History. Created in July 1821, it collected examples of the novel geological and animal specimens located in the Colony. Several donations were made by the Rev John Youl (1773-1827) of Port Dalrymple in Tasmania including 'a variety of fossils, petrifactions, etc.'* He also donated a case of minerals. Society members agreed that copies of all scientific papers given by society Members should be deposited in the Museum, which was located in the Colonial Secretary's office. Unfortunately, the infant Museum was to share in the fate of its parent organisation, which collapsed in disinterest and mutual acrimony little more than a year after its inception."

* Philosophical Society of Australasia Minute Book, (29 June 1821 - 14 August 1822), (ML), Minutes reproduced in Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, LV 1921, p.xciv [Note: these pages are at the end of the volume not the front). The minutes record their actual donation at the next meeting in April 1822 ibid., xcviii.

Related entries

Timeline

 1821 - c. 1825 Philosophical Society of Australasia
       1850 - 1856 Australian Philosophical Society
             1856 - 1866 Philosophical Society of New South Wales
                   1866 - Royal Society of New South Wales

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Branagan, D. F., 'Words, actions, people: 150 years of the scientific societies in Australia', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 104 (1972), 123-41. Details
• Cambage, R.H., 'Biographical Sketches of Some of the Members of the Philosophical Society of Australasia', Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, lv (1921), xxxiii-xlii. Details
• Maiden, J. H., 'A Contribution to a History of the Royal Society of New South Wales, with Information in Regard to Other New South Wales Societies', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, lii (1918), 215-361. Details
• Russell, H.C., 'Astronomical and Meteorological Workers in New South Wales, 1778-1860', Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 (1888), 45-94, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15813133. Describes the Society and its work from 1821 until its demise in 1825. See pp.56-7. Details
• Tyler, Peter J., 'Science for Gentlemen: the Royal Society of New South Wales in the Nineteenth Century', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 143 (1/2) (2010), 29-43. Details
• Tyler, Peter J., 'Sir Thomas Brisbane - Patron of Colonial Science', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 145 (2012), 128-35. Details

Resources

• Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-544157. Details

See also

• Elkin, A. P., 'Centenary oration: the challenge to science, 1866; the challenge of science, 1966, part 1', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, 100 (3/4) (1966), 105-18. Details