AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8272, 3 June 1890, Page 6

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

The first meeting of the session of the Auckland Institute was held yesterday evening at the Museum Buildings, Princesstreet. Mr. James Stewart, C.E., prosi. dent of the Institute, occupied the chair, and there was a fair attendance of members. NEW MEMBERS. The following gentlemen were announced as new members :—R. D. Duxfield, M.A., Thames ; L. Ehrenfried, Auckland ; G. Fowlds, Auckland ; J. Goodall, C.E., Auckland. ADDITIONS AND DONATIONS. The following list of additions and donations to the Library and Museum was read by the secretary, Mr. Cheeseman :Collier's Literature of New Zealand, various Governmental publications, from the Government Printer, Wellington ; Statistics of Tasmania for 1888, from the Chief Secretary, Tasmania ; Annals of the Malaeological Society of Belgium, tome 2*2, from the Society ; Report of the Geological Survey of Canada for ISB7-S, from the Director of the Survey : Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for ISSS, from the Association : Reports of < the Smithsonian Institution from 18(30 to 1876, from the Institution ; Bulletins 1 to 3 of the United States Department of Agriculture, from the Department ; Insect Life, vol. -, from Professor Riley ; Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, from the United States Government ; Seventh Report of the State Mineralogist, California, First and Second Reports of the California!) Board of Forestry, from G. P. Pierce; old Bay of Islands newspapers, from Captain Farquhar. Collection of stuffed animals (I*2), from Borneo, purchased 1 from Mr. C. F. Adams ; skeleton of bison, i skulls of fur seal and eared seal in exchange : from the National Museum, Washington ; skins of kangaroo, oppossum, and wallaby, F. H. Combes ; skins of red-tailed tropic bird, Mr. Alexander ; skin of long-tailed cuckoo, R. C. Lawrence ; skin of morepork, Captain Herrold ; eggs of spotted shag, Miss Bacon ; large specimen of cat-fish, Captain Best: sphinx convolvuli, J. Munro : large spider, F. J. Symons ; leaf insect from Fiji, F. Cornewall; New Zealand shells, C. Spencer ; New Zealand shells, E. B. Moss ;

figurehead and sternpost of Maori war canoe, tarahi, tekoteko, two greenstone meres, purchased from Mr. C. Alma Baker ; Maori stone axe, E. A. Mackechnie ; prehistoric stone implements from Central France, C. Gamier (Tahiti) -. prehistoric stone implements from Belgium, A. Cels (Brussels) ; IS silver coins, '21 copper coins, three pieces of paper money, T. W. Kitt; three copper coins, R. Colman. ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. The President then read the following anniversary address :—" On rising to deliver from this chair the address customary on enteritis: another year of the work of our Institute, I need not take up time in ex-

pressing the deep sense I entertain of the honour which you have conferred in thinkin<; me worthy to succeed the many gentlemen who have so ably tilled the position of your president. 1 am sure also of your sympathetic consideration, when you reflect that I have now to follow twenty-two open- ! ing addresses, many of them by men foremost in the ranks of learning and scientific research, and all of them covering ground and embracing points replete with interest to the society. Under these circumstances I reviewed at first with positive alarm, the contingency, that I might fail to rind anything worthy of your attention in an address, which by custom, has come to occupy the whole evening. There are, however, a tew things of standard interest, such as our present position, the work of the past,and the prospects of the future. la tollowiny: out a few details of these heads, a crowd of cognate subjects present themselves, so much .-o, that I must bespeak your patience, while I endeavour to select and put some of them before you, in a manner as little conducive to weariness as I can. I must hasten to say, however, that 1 do not intend to inflict on you a review of the past in the strict sense of the term, but only to make general reference to, and probably to some extent, a vindication of our position and work as it has been, interwoven as this must be, with our present and future policy. Naturally the most, prominent subject before us on our anniver sary, is our present position, and the policy to be pursued under the slightly varying aspects of revenue, and the increasing demands on the administration. We find ourselves in possession of a building which can just about contain our collections, and exhibit them fairly well. You will readily understand this position of affairs, when you know that the valuable and interesting exhibit, of the Borneo orang-outan and monkeys you now see before you can only be set up in the Museum by displacing something of less interest, or by unduly crowding oilier contents. Therefore, to attempt to carry out, or even begin, the very complete and scientific classification and extension which was, some four years ago, laid before us. by Professor Brown, is at present hopeless. All that we can do just now is to secure, as opportunity may offer, and which if lost may not recur again, desirable collections, and store and exhibit them as we best can, until we are enabled bysome means not at all clear as yet, to enlarge our premises, and consequently our stall'. But all extraordinary extensions of our exhibits, and all attempts lit adding to the scope of classification, must naturally give way to the necessary enlargement of the building. This matter is receiving the earnest consideration of the Council, and it is to be hoped that some safe and practicable scheme may be evolved, by which we may secure the ends in view, without risk of disaster to our finances. Some years ago an important step was taken, by which ample ground space was secured, and we now own an area of about half-an-acre in the best position for the purpose in the city, and a total frontage of about 350 feet. Our capital, however, was thus reduced by an amount represented by at least £150 a year, and as our income from membership has also been considerably reduced within the period referred to, we rind ourselves with a surplus of about £90 or £100 per annum. Of course with this alone we cannot enter on any extensions worthy of the occasion, but we have landed endowments for the most part unrealised. Some of these can now be advantageously turned into cash, anil looking to the increase in value and demand consequent on the revival of trade, which is gradually, and all the more surely,being experienced, we may hope to in a few years avail ourselves of that asset. In the meantime, by husbanding our present resources and transferring to a building fund for investment as much as possible yearly from outincomes, we may materially advance the prospect of being able to build and carry out our schemes of classification, and generally make our museum worthy of our position in the colony. Even if we are unable shortly to realise all this, we may take much comfort by looking back to the _>-ears timing which we existed before we were able to undertake, by the munificence of the late Mr. Justice Gillies, seconded to an equal extent by the late the Hon. James Williamson, the erection of the present building. How during that time we virtually camped out, and hid our collections as best we could in the most extraordinary jumble of ruinous old erections to be found in the city ; and further, when we reflect how opportunely the bequest of the late Mr. (Jostley came to our aid and enabled us to reckon, for the first time, on a good and practically-certain income; we may, I repeat, look witlipatienceif at the worst forced, to remain as we are for a few years longer. And here 1 would earnestly call your attention to the importance of enlarging our membership. This we can at once undertake, and if wo all set about the work in earnest, the consequent increase of income will have a very marked effect on the end in view. Seven years ago our strength was 320, and it had been from the second year, the highest in the affiliated societies. Our roll last year was 210, a loss ot more than 100 names, and as many guineas, from outrevenue. It is very small comfort that we do not stand alone in this loss of power, but we should try all we know to get back that leeway. It ought to be possible, and would soon be done, if each member will take every opportunity of laying before those of his friends who do not yet support us, the facts of the case, and disabuse their minds of the very prevalent notion that, owing to the Costley bequest, we are not now dependent on membership subscriptions as an important part of our income. ft must be borne in mind also that a museum is not a mere collection of curious things gathered together at little or no cosi, or kept up by gifts or bequests of people of . an antiquarian turn of mind. On the con- I

trary, few educational institutions are more expensive in proper equipment and maintenance. The collection of stuffed mammals you see before you will show the value which must attach to a complete and systematic collection in natural history. These animals are taken by men subject to great risk and expense, and must be set up by artists having a perfect knowledge of the anatomy and natural appearance of the animals, as well as the requisite technical skill. But i: a museum of natural science is costly, a technological one is far more so, and to attempt any real excellence in that direction is, I fear, beyond our present hopes." Mr. Stewart then went, on to point out the ' value of the transactions of the Institute, ! and the erroneous notions which prevailed ! as to the practical uselessness of the dry I technical papers on botanical and entomo- ! logical subjects. As an example of the real value of these studies he cited the case Icerya Purchaiti,i\ud described the means by which that pest had been eradicated. It was through the labours of Mr. Koebele, the entomologist, that a natural enemy of the scale was discovered which put an effectual end to its ravages. Who could put into figures the value of the knowledge which led to such results The whole history of the eradication of the Icerya was so interesting that he hoped their able curator, Mr. Cheeseman, would put it on record during the year, with its bearings on the possibility of similarly grappling with the -lodlin moth, citrus borer, and phylloxera. Mr. Stewart also dealt with the complaint vhat the Institute neglected literature and art, and pointed out that it was hopeless for their ' transactions' to attempt to compete with the serial literature of the old world. He also touched on the educational influence of the Institute, and the need for a very considerable change in the kind of subjects taught in our schools, and the want of more flexibility in the educational course to suit the varying requirements of the pupils. The influence of the Institute on these points though only moral might be made very powerful. Another subject referred to by Mr. Stewart in his address was the importance of securing and completing collections in the Museum illustrating the manners and customs of the Maoris. He pointed out that the Maoris were one of the finest of the primitive races, and had been given every advantage, political and educational, and yet they were still on the lowest steps of civilisation. He attributed this result to the baneful system of communism which prevailed amongst them, and which discouraged industry. After referring to the Maori language, and the manner in which it was being changed by the adoption of English words pronounced in Maori fashion, he went on to say : — ' Before leaving the subject of the native race, I may be permitted to say a few words respecting their commonly accepted traditions of arrival in these islands. We have in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute several papers relating to the origin of the race, and much of their mythology lias been recorded by Sir George Grey : and ( latterly at great length by Mr. John White. About the most of these wo need not trouble ourselves, but respecting their traditional mode of arrival, we have a more interesting field of inquiry. And 1 venture to think the subject will bear further investigation from a totally different standpoint than that which appears to have been hitherto adopted ; apparently an acceptance of the Maori narrations of the canoe voyages as literally true. 1 think they ought now to be looked at from the standpoint of common sense. The details of setting out and return of the pioneers, and of the final migration of the Arawa, Tainui, and other canoes, are so

full of the supernatural that we must view the whole as of one origin, and in common with their other mythology. 1 have listened to the details of the voyage of the Arawa, and of the doings of Tama te Ktipua, who was the chief, and Ngatoroiraiipd, who was the indispensable tohunga, by whose powerful incantations the canoe was kept above water ; and common sense says the whole narrative should stand or fall as one, and that it is exactly on a par with the legend of Maui, who fished up the North Island out. of the sea. We may hope tor clearer light on these subjects when we are possessed of more knowledge of the physical geography of the Pacific, and of the changes which can be traced in our own islands, at—geologically speaking—no very great distance of time. I have long thought that it will yet become demonstrated that w-2 are now living on what were once the tops, and now sanded-up gullies of a mountain range in a former Southern continent, anil that the South Pacific was then a group of very large islands, with no great breadths of water between. Under such circumstances it would be reasonable to conclude that any canoe blown adrift from one island could hardly fail to be cast ashore within a few days on another. I believe that enough is known of the results of the recent survey by H. M.s. Egeria as will tend to support this view. The legends of the canoe voyages mayhave had foundation in extensive coasting voyages undertaken to find fresh lands, and the supernatural details were only required when it had to be explained how many thousands of miles came to be navigated to and fro by open canoes. We know of the implicit belief hold by the natives in the supernatural powers of their tohungas, whose business it was, and is, to foster this by every means in their power. in any case, I shall be glad to see this subject taken up and followed out on some more reasonable and scientific lines than those which have hitherto been tacitly accepted. Fearing that I have given far too much time Maori matters, I must hasten on to just notice a few points connected with subjects oftener before the Institute. There is the great branch of our Flora, which, apart from the interest attaching to botany as a scientific classification, reveals to us all that is wondrous and beautiful in vegetable life. Like entomology, however, it has hitherto been more of a scientific record than that, combined with popular description of remarkable points in the subject under review. I hope to see such subjects made more and more popular, and to hear of the most important matter of economic botany taking its proper place in our transactions. There is the conservation of forests, the best method of creating new ones, on our vast treeless hills and plains, where, to the great detriment of our climate, the ancient forests have been denuded or covered up. There is the question of utilising the enormous waste which goes on in clearing our forest lands. The chemist shows us the amount of tannin contained in the twigs and foliage besides the bark, on an acre of fores*, that (he extract of bark, rich iu tannin, is very easily prepared, and we know it is a valuable commercial commodity. I should like to see some of our practical chemists describe an easy method, some simple extracting and condensing process, by which the settlers on small bush holdings could prepare the extract. In the Colonial Museum are to be seen large jars of this bark extract, but I have not seen the method of preparation described, nor the returns in hard cash which might be expected to fall to the bush settlers' share. Without all these points being made clear and satisfactory, the fact that bark contains tannin, and that if can be shown in a jar, is of no general interest. But if it can be made a payable industry its importance cannot be overrated. The deplorable eruption which, within a few days of four years ago, tore up miles of our lake country, suggests a few words in reference to geology, which I hope to see lake a more prominent position in our work. It affords a vast amount of study and strictly scientific classification of what makes up the crust, as it is popularly termed, of the earth, and which was possibly the subject of man's earliest speculation. And on no work of Nature have such diverse theories been set forth. The presumed time of formation, varying from 144 hours, to as many billions of years. But new evidence is constantly being discovered, confirming or condemning the theories of the past. The mud and dust which from RotomahanaandTarawera were showered down over so large an extent of the surrounding lands, opened our eyes to the manner in which the surface of a large part of our soil has been formed. What that process had been was revealed to us, when the clouds of steam rolled away on that June morning, as if we had suddenly discovered the records of an eye-witness, in all-but dates that is, for we are yet without the means of applying in geology a scale of years, as wo can of miles and inches. We can only speak by comparison, and everything points to a vast period having elapsed since the previous eruption in the same locality, and, in comparison with that, our experience of four years at*o was mild indeed. The features presented by many of our earth-cuttings

are now explained in a manner as clear as possible by the supposition of sub-aerial mud and dust. The physical aspects of the Tarawera eruption have been most fully and ably described by Professor Thomas and Mr. S. Percy Smyth, but it seems to me that we have as yet only begun to read the lessons set us by that awful event, and I hope they will be more and more followed out, and form material for much of the future transactions of this Society. Mr. Stewart concluded, after touching on some of the recent triumphs of science and engineering, by hoping that they would all live to see the consummation of what was, perhaps, the most important problem now occupying the minds of inventorsnamely, the production of electricity directly from the oxidation of coal. This would lead to a saving of at least 80 per cont. of the coal now required for power. At the conclusion it was announced that the next meeting of tho Institute will be held on tho 16th of June, when Sir William Fox will give a locture on " Reminiscences of Egypt," illustrated with sketches and water-colour drawings taken by himself.