A DISTINGUISHED COLONIST.

Evening Star, Issue 10701, 13 August 1898, Page 4 (Supplement)

A DISTINGUISHED COLONIST.

Although this Cokwy has hardly yet established its nAtionalUy,' having been in existence as a self-gorerningState for » period of somewhat lees than fiaK a century, New Zealandera are not t w4%mt distinction in literature, the, fine Jsrba- and: very specially in science.. "Sir lamer Hector, the late Professr Parker, and others have made their mark in the world. In tiie ranks of those whose attainments have attracted notice in acientific circles we are pleased t» note John R. Don, D.Sc., M.A., now of the Waitaki Boys' High School, whose paper on 'The Genesis of Certain- Auriferous Lodes' has not only been favorably-criti-cised by the professors of mineraktgy at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and by experts in the Australia* colonies, but was discussed by the American Institute of Mining Engineers and published, with full notes of the discussion, in their volume of * Transactions' for 1897. Dr Don has achieved honor for himself and for New Zealand, and we heartily congratulate him on the position he has obtained by his talents and assiduous application to a branch of science of very immediate interest in all countries which possess auriferous resources. We have before us an excerpt from the Transactions of the American Institute which contains Dr Don's paper and the remarks thereupon by members from various parts of the United States who are well-known authorities on the subjects treated. Dr S. F. Emmons, of Washington (D.C.), said that he desired to bear his humble testimony to the great value of Dr Don's paper to the science of ore deposits, to the thoroughness and accuracy of his work, and the immense amount of care-taking and tedious labor which it represents. No more important paper has ever appeared in the ' Transactions.' Indeed, this is a line in which far too* little has been done anywhere. Geologistsare not often sufficiently trained chemists to carry on such work, even if they had the time. The chemist, on the other hand, is rarely enough of a geologist or so placed as to get sufficient field experience to keep thoroughly in touch with the processes of Nature as shown in mine workings. He did not propose, he went on to say, but only to consider the deductions that may be made from it from the geological side, which he proceeded to at considerable length. George F. Becker, also of Washington, 8.C., declared that Dr Don's paper was an extremely important contribution to mining geology, and "worth the vast " amount of labor which it had manifestly "cost." Drs Becker and Emmons, it may be noted, are two of the chiefs of the United States Geological Survey, and probably know more about the science of ore deposits than any two men who could be named. Dr Arthur Winslow, of KansasCity, who has a world-wide reputation as a scientist, and does not altogether agree with Dr Don's conclusions, says that his paper is a notable example of painstaking, conscientious research, for which the author deserves much credit. The field and literary work alone must have been very great, but, in addition, the investigation involved many special experiments on a large scale and "the testing and assaying of over 400 "bulky samples, with more than 100 "other assays and analyses, which, te "anyone familiar with such tasks, seems "a stupendous labor." The results are especially, he goes on to say, of quantitative value, furnishing many exact facts and definite data which will control speculation, and upon which ' theories can be built up. "There--1 fore, in whatever estimation one may "hold Dr Don's methods and results, "or however one may differ from the " conclusions to be drawn, all, I think, will " agree in admiring the courage and entire \ " disregard for labor which prompted and "sustained his inquiries." It may be i mentioned that the American Institute of i Mining Engineers is one of the foremost bodies, if not the foremost body, in the world i which exists for and devotes itself to the 1 subject of scientific mining, and its 'Transactions' are universally acknowi lodged in England and the United States to be the best authority extant with re--1 gard to the later developments of mining geology. The high opinion entertained by the Institute of Dr Don's work is demonstratively proved by the inclusion, i of his paper in its ( Transactions. l