HAWKE'S BAY PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3132, 12 July 1881, Page 3

HAWKE'S BAY PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

The ordinary meeting of this society was held last evening, as advertised in our columns, and was very well attended, which we were glad to see, several ladies also being among the audience. The President the Bishop of Waiapu, occupied the chair.

Dr. Spencer read a long and elaborate paper on the microscopical fresh-water Algte of Napier and its neighborhood, of the sub-order Chlorospermae, and mostly of the tribes Oonfervero and Desmideaj. Dr. Spencer accompanied his paper with a large number of colored drawings of many species with tbeir dissections, all exceedingly well executed. Very great interest was shewn in the examination of those faithful representations of so many beautiful and really wonderful organisms, moßt of which are wholly invisible to the naked eye. A curious fact had also been elicited, that a very large per centage of those minute vegetations were identically the same as those of Great Britain and Europe, described and drawn in the books of the Institute which lay on the table.

The thanks of the meeting were heartily and unanimously accorded to Dr. Spencer for his able and interesting paper and drawings.

The members were informed, that their last large order of scientific books was shipped from London on board of the "Feroglen" bound to Wellington; which chip passed Deal on the Ist of May.

Five gentlemen were nominated to be elected members of this society, viz., Messrs C. D. Kennedy of Napier, J. Chambers jun. of Te Mata, J. Grant of Burnside, W. J. Ellison of Makaretu, and Dr. Carey of Hastings.

The hon. secretary Mr Colenso, showed a few interesting exhibits; among which were—a specimen of a curious large green moth, lately received from Mr J. Stewart of Takapau ;—some small stone axes, &c, of the ancient Maoris of this neighborhood, from Mr Chambers of Te Mata; —aud a very large and very rudely shaped stone axe, received from Mr Wm. Chambers of Poverty Bay, which he had discovered (while travelling) at the Bluff in Southland ; this axe, from its form, &c, seemed as if made by a still ruder race, or by one anterior to the present Maoris: —a copy of the newly revised version of the New Testament, of a large size, was also shown by Mr Colenso.

Thanks to the absent members for their kind donations were awarded ; also to the chairman for his ably presiding. We, subsequently, heard that the 5 gentlemen who had been nominated at the meeting were duly elected by the Council to be members of the Institute. One very pleasing feature connected with this election, is tbe fact, that 4 of those 5 gentlemen were born and educated here among us in New Zealand, (this is as it should be,) and the stb, Dr Carey, is a gentleman newly settled among us. This Society should now be going aheid fast, as it numbers about 100 members.