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of meat per day to counteract this deficiency in nutriment . If tnere
were such a deficiency, which he (Bedford) doubted, it should be imputed
to imperfect tillage and want of manure, rather than leaving it to be
inferred, in· a way detrimental to Tasmania, to conditions of climate and
soil.
Giving those present no time to collect their thoughts, with
forceful, subtle skill, Bedford drew their attention away from the main
issue of the paper , ''mortality rates" and fastened it on a minor allusion
to the lack of nutritional value in Tasmanian wheat, a touchy subject
amongst Tasmanian growers and exporters.
'/
In the confUsion of thought
and feeling that followed, whilst Hall saw all his valuab le, painstakinglyprepared
data foundering on a "red herring'1 , Miller suggested the paper
be printed to enable members to judge for themselves.
However , Milligan,
whose dislike and hostility were now obvious , clinched the matter by
saying Hall t s paper affected the character and market value of one of the
staple products of the colony, and the Society should be careful in
sanctioning a statement which might be very injurious, exciting feelings
of irritation throughout the land.
If true, he did not see any good to
be achieved by publishing it to the world, and if proved not to be the
fact, then the Society would find it had taken a position which it could
neither attempt to maintain with credit, nor fall back from with a good
grace.
Accordingly, it was decided to submit the question of publication
to the Council of the Royal Society. 2
That such a decision was
necessary was due to the fact that no Papers and Proceedings were printed
as part of the Society's normal activities between January, 1855, when
Vo lume III Part I appeared, and January, 1859, when Volume III Part II
w.as published.
Fortunately, in the next few weeks whilst he awaited the
Council's decision, Hall found little time to dwell on his disappointment
at his paper 's reception.
On September 11, he chaired a lecture on
"Food", given by his friend and assistant in many experiments , E. Pears,
at the Mechanics ' Institute;
effects on health interested him greatly. 3
the nutritional value of food and its
But it was the announcement
by the Central Board of Health in Melbourne that smallpox had broken out
in the neighbourhood of Lonsdale Street West and Spencer Street that
galvanized him into action. 4 Urgently he reiterated in a long arti cle
2
3
.1;
Courier , September 14 , 1857 .
Daily News , September 11, 1857 .
Daily News , October 5 & 12 , 1857 .