"POLLEX" AND "THOMAS B. GILLIES."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9144, 28 August 1888, Page 6

"POLLEX" AND "THOMAS B. GILLIES."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Pollex's " amusing banter regarding Dr. Hector in your issue of the 18th instant called up a retrospect in my mind. I remembered twenty years ago or more handing in my name to the late Mr. Crawford, as one willing to become a member of the projected "Auckland Institute." Those were indeed days of commercial depression for Auckland, and men's hopes were centred on the newly-opened Thames district, where auriferous indications were reported to have been found. The bantling institute assembled about this time to hear the views of the then rising savant, Dr. Hector, on the geology of the Thames country. I remembered well the emphatic way in which the doctor showed that the geological character of the district, precluded any reasonable hope of finding extensive deposits of gold. The effect of the information on the rising hopes of the people was, as I thought, saddening, although they continued (and with very fair success) their search for the valued metal. For twenty years or more I have used the incident in my own mind as a corrective against the dogmatism of scientific men. A decade later I thought I heard the Doctor lecture in Sydney on " The Hot Springs of New Zealand," and then thought he showed that the thermal activity of the Taupo district was caused originally by a great concussion in this part of the earth's surface, and that the resulting friction caused by the impact was still keeping up a diminishing supply of heat, and that the whole district was an example of dying thermal action. The recent eruption of Tarawera made me think of all this, and again I thought that even men of scientific renown may make wrong deductions. Perhaps this too is all false. Let us, however, avoid the " lie direct" to poor memory, and to poor "Pollex," and say like dear old Touchstone, " with an If," " your memory, Sir, is false, and ' Pollex' is false, and common uncontradicted report for 20 years or more is false" If "Thomas B. Gillies" is right. Then we can " shake hands and swear brotherhood." " Your If is the only peacemaker, much virtue in If."—l am, &c., Auckland, August 25, 1888. Jaques.