PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13910, 8 December 1910, Page 7

PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of tho Philosophical Institute of Canterbury was held last night. Mr R. M. Laing presiding over a large attendance. Mr J. D. Hall was elected a member of tho Institute. The annual report and balance-sheet (a precis of which has already been published) were taken as read, and the Chairman, in moving their adoption, dealt briefly with the work of the institute during tho year. Dr. Chilton, referring to the balancesheet, said that the only item that might cause anxiety was tho Institutes liability of £500 in connection with the publication oi tho work descriptive ot the scientific expedition to the subAntarctic islands. Personally, tho matter did not alarm him, and if tho Institute kept un the interest is its work and kept up its membership, the liability would be duly liquidated. Since the balance-sheet was mado up further amounts had come to hand, increasing tho balance to credit to over £100. and as soon as authority was given by the committee of the Institute another £100 would be paid off. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. Officers wero elected as follows: — President, Mr A. M. Wright; vice-pre-sidents, Mr R. M. Laing and Dr. Cockayne; secretary, Mr R. Speight; treasurer, Dr. Chilton; librarian, MiEdgar R. Waite; council, Dr. Hilgcndorf, Dr. Denhani, Dr. Braver, Messrs* Hogg, Page, and Drummond. Mr G. A. Way was reappointed honorary auditor, and was accorded a vote of'thanks for his past services. Mr Is. M. Laing read a portion of his paper on ''Tho Re-discovery of ranunculus crithmii'olius" — a small mountain buttercup previously found and described by tho late W. *T. L. Travers, ab an altitude of 6000 ft in the Wairau Gorge. Mr Laing rediscovered tho flower in the Mount Arrowsmith district at an altitude of 5000 ft.

Dr. Cockayne sent a paper on "New Plant Habitats," which was briefly described by Dr. Chilton. Dr. Chilton explained the contents of his "Note on the Dispersal of Marine Crustacea by Means of Ships," and stated that when the British "Antarctic Expedition's ship Terra Nova was in dock at Lyttelton he had found four specimens of fish lice not known in New Zealand, but known to exist in the waters of Port Philip. Dr. Chilton also contributed papers entitled "Report on Crustacea from the Kermadec Islands'" and "Report on Crustacea from tho Cruise of the Nora Niven." Referring to the Kermadec Islands crustaceans. Dr. Chilton said that the collection made by Mr Oliver was the first from tho island, and was a very representative one.

Mr R. Speight described the contents of his papers, "Glaciated Surfaces nnd Boulder Clay at the Bealcv" and "Preliminary Account of tho Geological Features of tho Christchurch Artesian Area."

A paper on the rocks of Victoria Land (Antarctica) was communicated by Mr It. H. Worth, of Plymouth, England. The secretary stated that Mr Hodgson, tho biologist with the "Discovery" Expedition, had collected specimens of rocks which Mr Worth had described.

At a special meeting, held subsequently, an alteration to Law IV. was agreed to, providing for the election of new members by the Council of the Institute, rejected proposed members having the right to appeal to a general meeting of the Institute.