An extensive monograph: whilst primarily an overview of the meteorological conditions of the colony of Victoria, the work contains a chapter on meteors, their incidence 'from 1859 to the end of April 1861' along with an extensive statistical analysis of this phenomena. There is also a chapter on the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, illustrated by a striking, coloured lithographic frontispiece.

An extensive monograph: whilst primarily an overview of the meteorological conditions of the colony of Victoria, the work contains a chapter on meteors, their incidence 'from 1859 to the end of April 1861' along with an extensive statistical analysis of this phenomena. There is also a chapter on the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, illustrated by a striking, coloured lithographic frontispiece.

Born in Bavaria in 1849, Neumayer was an important figure in colonial science who was convinced that Australia provided important opportunities for scientific research, who made a study of terrestrial magnetism, conducted a survey of Victoria and worked for many years at the Flagstaff Observatory. He was also the one time colleague of the artist Eugene von Guérard. This is the Hobill Cole copy.