AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6813, 18 September 1883, Page 6

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

I . TfiE monthly meeting of I yesterday even lßg in the Museum. „*"£* I Buildmg,. Princes-street, His ~ the; Bishop of Auckland in the Si rir "** , . worm {eorf& V.)/Mr J • hair .. wood from the I&mo c.al J M*""* 1 , Maon stone pipe, Mr.. ffSi?S*' . silver and copper coins Mr tv, '- * n ° U3 tion of the. wreck of the B a &?i r •' P o^ Hamiora Mangakahia. J&) °' * he "Me! s SoßGHtfi!,— Mr. Justice G,-fi;„ " j l supplementary paper on ti,i= ~,il- \ ■ * . the analysis of Sir. B«tS girfo ff f published, in full i n anot L r ", 13 Paper is results which it discC«^ o °rt P 6 [ : interest and importance It YL £ v'S hest , actively by everyone Gifts fbom Me, MAQKEi.viE.-The Pr* sideut read a letter which he had „ ~ ceived from Mr. Mackelyie announcing, intention to send fire ne* pktures t oA uck. 1 : la ? d ' letter appears in full i n £$£. ' C ° lU T' -J 0 " f a(J in. °f the letter was r . eeived with applause. COMFAEATIVE PUILOLOGY— Mr ft tf Moore* referring to the paper of Professor" Tucker upon the aid to be expected from tM, new science towards discovering the origin and tracing the migrations of the Polvne'ln races, said that Professor Tucker Si credited comparative philology in teaching the exact limit and. classification of vatic™ languages, with indicating the distinctions and migrations of different people p 0 e curred to him to ask whether eth n olow"had not something to do with the subject and whether ethnology would not have particular advantages in inquiries of this character Mr. Huxley, in hjs « Critical Essays," says '■ "Language in certain cases may be grafted on people who retain their ethnic characteristics." Upon this view of the subject might not many of the Polynesian people present resemblances in their language at : : the tame time that their ethnic origin would :be very distinct I— Mr. Justice Gillie?: This paper by Professor Tucker pat me hi mind : of a conversation which I had some time ago with the. late Judge Waning, who said that in reading the books of .Livingstone and other travellers in Central ifrica, he was much struck with certain of the words Used by these African tribes. He considered that mauy of these words were virtually the roots of, and were nearly identical with, similar words, ia the Maori language. Judge Maning further mentioned the fact that there was a Maori tradition which pointed, in his opinion, to the Maori people having at some time lived in a tropical country, afterwards migrating through Arabia and Inula, down to the Malay Peninsula, and then separating and distributing themselves amongst the islands or the South Seas.—Professor Tucker said that ■ ethnology could have had nothiDg to do with, discovering, the connection between the European and IndiaD languages. The resemblances between these languages were discovered after careful investigation by scholars in their studies. Ethnology, which was more concerned with typical, physical features,, might give very valuable results, but. comparative philology extended further,. and derived some of its most interesting results, from social relations, domestic institutions, or popular usages. New Species of Cakabipje.— A. paper by Captain JJrotin, bearing the above title, iras read by Mr. O'he.eseman. In it fifteen cew species, of gfound-be*de=, or Carabfdaj, were fully described. Thinetn of these had been collected in the South Island, either by Messrs. Fulton or Chalmer in Otago, or by Messrs. Cheesemafl and Urquhart, in the Canterbury mountains. The remaining two had been found near tfowipk by the author. Attention was drawn to the Southern distribution of the ground-beetles, but few being found in Aucklaud ; but Captain Broun considered that a careful exploration of the hilly districts about Lake Taupo would result in the discovery of a good number. Ctleeseman re3d the following paper relating to. new additions to Sew Zealand Bora :—'ike first is a species of Celhiiaia, to which J have applied the name ■ Qelirr.isia rupesiris. It was gathered on the slopes of Mount Peel, Kelson, at an altitude of nearly 5000 feet. Though allied in some respects to 0. rar.iulpsa, it an he easily ! distinguished by its larger size and stouter habit, larger flowers, and longer and narf rower leaves. The next belongs to the genus Potamogeton, and has been described from my specimens by Mr. A. Bennett in the Journal oi Botsuy for March this year. It appears to be a common plant in most districts. The remaining three are species of One I take to be identical with the well •known kre- r muricatt, a plant Which has a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, but which has not been recorded from any southern locality. The remaining two are undoubtedly new, and have received the names of larex crijptocarpa. and C. uMojiolin-. Both are very distinct species, and cannot be sonfounded with any others of our larkes. Eucalyptus, "A paper by Mr. A. T. Urquhart was read by Mr. Cheeseman.upon the natural spread of the euealyptas in the Karaka district. Polynesia.— Mr. G. H. Moore read a paper giving an account of a craise through the South Sea Islands, beginniog with the Lord Howe group, proceeding southward to the Solomon Islands and the >'ew Hebrides, thence to the Gilbert gronp. The paper embraced the opinions of the writer upon the characteristics of the vanoni. people inhabiting these groups, conjectures as to their ethnographical relations, a minute account of their industries, their social condition, their language, with a g efle , ra mate of the importance of these islands to the large colonies to whiih they stand in special trade or geographical relations. & expressed the hope that a time was not vetf remote, when some spirited citizens wouia severally or jointly fit out a vessel to explore these islands, in some <jf these p ro were 200 islands, varying ia size. m - something of the kind were done, tne researches which, could now be made with g. results would toon become impossiblePsychologic *l InykstigaHoss.-^* • D. Campbell, F.G.3., read a papsr on uus subject, in which lie dwelt at considerate length upon, the phenomena testlhefl y such men as Crooken, Wallace, and tending to show tie existence of a 10 different from those which were usually r ferred to ordinary material combinations J their manifestation. A large proportion o the paper was occupied with the rnanue* tion of certain phases of psychic influence 1 exhibited and well authenticated -bj com mittees of competent witnesses organised i t the purpose.. The paper suggested "* method? by which investigations ot w character should be carried on. This concluded the, proceedings.