A series of witty, satirical sketches involving fictional 'transactions' of 'the Great Australian Society'. The sketches are presented as if they were the transactions (reports) of a mid-19th century learned society, and they range from the natural sciences to literature and the arts. The 'transactions' involving the 'belle-lettres' [sic] include lengthy discussions of 'literary productions' by the fictional authors 'Timothy Scrubb' and his poet uncle 'Jeremiah Scrubb'.