AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4693, 28 November 1876, Page 3

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

The last monthly meeting of the Institute, for the 1876 session, was held last evening in the Council Chamber, Museum Buildings, Princes-street. A fair number of gentlemen and a few ladies were in attendance, —Mr. Theophilus Heale in the chair. Minutes. —The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. New Members. —The following gentlemen were declared to have been elected members of the Institute, since the last meeting : —Rev. T. Buddie, and Messrs. T. Broham, W. Cameron, J. B. Russell, and T. Weston. Donations to the Library and Museum. Kurr's " Mineral Kingdom," deposited by Mr. J. MacLeod; map shewing the chief telegraph lines in operation, Hon. F. Whitaker ; series of SO articles, illustrating themaaners, customs, &c, of the natives of New Britain, New Ireland, &c, 50 species of coleoptera and other insects, series of butterflies, species of South Sea Islands shells, specimens of lizards, fishes, Crustacea, &c, eggs of the cassowary and megapodius, presented by Rev. G. Brown, C.M.Z.S.; cap made of spiders' webs, from Fiji; two specimens of woods from Fiji, R. M. Heighton ; series of fossils from Northern Hawke's Bay, S. Percy Smith ; panopea Zealandica, Ingham Stephens; old newspapers, W. Shanaghan. The Museum a Public Institution. — The Chairman said that before proceeding with the business of the evening, he wished to impart some information as to the position of the Museum as an institution, and also in regard to the books which lately formed the Provincial Council library. The speaker then narrated at some length, and very clearly, the progress of the Mueeum from the time it was located in the old worn-out building which had served as a Government Post-office until the fine building in which his hearers were seated had been erected for its better accommodation. At the last session of the General Assembly, a sum of £2000 had been voted to the Ofcago Museum, simply because it was a public institution. The Hon. Mr. Whitaker caused a similar vote to be placed on the Estimatesforthe Auckland Museum, and it passed the Lower House. On coming up for discussion in the Legislative Council, the passing of the vote was greatly endangered by several hon. gentlemen saying that the Auckland Museum was not a public institution, bnt a private one. Now, they all (his hearers) knew that the members of the Institute had done their best to make it public. They had opened their library to the public, and if- they had not opened the doors of the building every day in the week, it was only because they could not pay the salary of a curator. However, through the efforts of the Hon. Mr. Whitaker the vote was passed, subject to the condition that arrangements should be made by whioh the Museum might be kept open on? each of the week days and on Saturday evening also. To this the Institute at once agreed, though it would involve an outlay larger than the annual interest to be obtained from the £2000. The Museum would accordingly henceforth be open daily from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., and in addition on Saturday evenings, from G p.m. till 10 p.m. The sole object and raiton d'etre of the Institute were to supply the public with valuable information on various tabjects, and to place within their reach the best editions of the works of standard authors. They (the members of the Institute) were not met there as some people seemed to suppose, to air .their crotchets, or to speak of matters interesting only to themselves, but as providing a centre where men, having a taste for literature and science might meet together and mutually aid and assist one another. The books forming the Provincial Council Library had been removed to the Museum, and would be open to the public. Those gentlemen who hitherto had enjoyed the right of taking the books out for perusal would still continue to exercise the privilege. In conclusion, the speaker earnestly hoped that the bringing of these matters prominently before the public would secure to the Institute a large number of new subscribers to cover the expense involved by the determination to keep the Museum open daily. Notices of Motion,—The Hon. Henry Chamberlain gave the following notice of motion, which will come up for discussion at the annual meeting of the Institute in February next:—" That rule 10 of the constitution of the Auckland Institute be amended so as to provide for the retirement annually of onefourth of the members of council, the retiring members not to be eligible for reelection for the space of one year."—Mr. Barstow gave notice of a motion to the effect that the Institute should be constituted a corporate body under an Act of the General Assembly, so that it might be empowered to take over public property. Stray Thoughts on Maori or Mahori Migrations.—The paper having the above title, read at the last meeting of the Institute, by Mr. Barstow, R.M., now came up for discussion.—Mr. James Adams, 8.A., said they owed Mr. Barstow many thanks for the very interesting manner in which he had shewn the way in which, according to his idea, New Zealand had been colonised by the Maoris. Mr. Adams exhibited a chart, shewing the currents which existed between New Zealand and Samoa. The currents were rery strong, and even supposing that a number of Samoans, in one of their frail canoes, should succeed in the very perilous attempt to cross one of the currents, others would carry them on to the coast of Australia, so that he did not think it could, with any shew of reason, be said tbat the Maoris had originally come from Samoa or neighbouring islands. Supposing, however, that the Maoris had come from Samoa, the feat they would have had accomplished would be one before which the voyages of Columbus would appear but as child s play. Another question would then arise, viz. : How did the moa and other wingless birds come to New Zealand ? Did they also come in canoes ? Remains of the moa had been found in Australia, Madagascar, and other places. The currants he had marked enclosed a common fauna and flora. On the other side of the water the insects, birds, and trees were quite distinct.—No other gentleman expressing a desire to criticise the paper, Mr. Barstow said he had very little to reply to, inasmuch as Mr. Adams's ideas were almost identical with those he (the speaker) had propounded. It was now generally admitted that ' the Maoris had sprung from a race, cognate with the Malays. The resemblance betweeu the Maori and -the Malay language was more fanciful than real. He trusted that the Institute would procure photographs of the strange relics found on Easter Island, and which had existed there probably from time immemorial, when they could compare them with

those left by the people preceding the Aztecs in the posaeuion of Central America. Mr. Barstow then went on to point.out some of thb resemblances between the Maoris and this extinct American race. One point was the prefix '•' whan" given by the Mvoris to thbir' seaports. Nearly all the-.Central American, and part of the South American seaports had borne names with the prefix " huan," meaning the same thing. Then there was Qthe word guano,. pronounced ",wano," something partaking of a marine character. We regret that we have not space enough at command to give a longer report of the gentleman's very interesting remarks. Notes on ' Quaktz-clujshing.'—Mr. J. Goodall, C.E., then read a paper entitled " Notes on Quartz-crushing." By the system of quartz-crushing at present in vogue, 40, 50, and even 60 per of the gold was lost, the great evil being the using of quicksilver in the boxes. Over 60 per cent, of the gold was lost at the Thames. The gentleman thought, by the adoption of the following method of crushing, a greater per-centageof gold would be saved :—" Crush the quartz after it has been puddled to get rid of clay that exists in mullocky leaders, coarsely, without quicksilver in the battery, using wire' gratings having, say, 81 holes to a square inch. Save as much gold as possible by the quicksilver plates and ripples. The tailings .should then be gathered in pits and. passed through grinding machines, or passed direct from the silver plates through the grinding machines. Where the tailings are fine enough, they should be amalgamated in barrels, or any other gentle system of amalgamation. One berdan should be sufficient for a large establishment, and it should be used for the cleaning of amalgam only. The whole of this could be easily arranged, and it would cause less work than is now entailed in working a battery, and 1 am confident a great deal less power will be necessary, and more gold saved."— Dr. Furchas made a few remarks on the same subject. Mb. Percy Smith's Paper.—Mr. S. Percy Smith was to have read a " Sketch of the Geology of Northern Hawke's Bay," but the gentleman being at present absent from Auckland, it was read by the Chairman instead. The paper was a very elaborate one, and the vast amount of geological information which it contained gave evidence of much research on the part of the author. The Rev. G. Brown's Curios.—The Chairman said a subscription had been started to purchase from the Rev. G. Brown the curios he had brought with him from the Islands. The price was very moderate, only £20.—The Hon. H. Chamberlain drew attention to the fact that the rev. gentleman had presented the Institute with a large number of interesting articles. —The Chairman duly acknowledged the gift. Natural History.—Dr. Pnrchas having drawn attention to a curious incident which he had heard of lately, viz., the killing of a rat by a rabbit, the meeting was declared closed, and the assemblage dispersed.