OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8650, 13 November 1889, Page 2

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Tho annual meetiD;; of tho Otago Institute | was held in tho lecture hull, Museum buildings. last evening, and was fairly attended. Dr Dc; Zouoho (the president) occupied the chair, and Sir James Hector wa6 one of the visitors present. ANNUAL JISPOBT. Tho following report of tho council was read:—

In presenting their report for the paßl session the council baa to express its regret th.it tho meetings of tho society have not been inoro largely attended by the members, and that a greater interest in the objects of tho society has not been displayed by the public. Tho session was opened by a conversazione held in the Museum, at which a considerable number of members and their friends was present. During tho session five general meetings were held. At the first Professor Parker read a paper by Mr Sandagor on "The Birds which visit the Mokoliluou Islands." On July 9th Mr F. Chapman exhibited and described some new species of Celmisia. At the August meeting Dr Bulau read a papor on v German poet of the laßt century. At the fourth general meeting Prufossor Parker gave an interesting lecture on " Tlie Development of the Kiwi," stating tho conclusions to which he had been led by his invi'stiniilior.B. The lecture was accompanied by an instructh c serieß of diagrams and prepared specimens. At the last meeting n pnpor on " Tlie Homeric Land System " wiib read by J)r llulcher. Dr Hoekeu'a lecture on "Tlie ISurly History ot New Zealand "was postponed. At the other meetings two papers were read as follows:—1, Ou certain new plants found In the Otngo district, by Mr Petrio 2 Notes on 11 pa.l"'"i?I Mi" e,d "Tlle 1'»k»ho In Western Otago " by Mr Melland. in answer to a representation from the council as to the desirability of publuliing a flora of Hew Zealand, a letter Las boon received from Sir James Hector, the Director of the Hew Zealand Institute stating that the Government are negotiating with Mr Kirk, and hope to bring matters to a successful issue. In the course of the session numerous additions have been made to tho library of the institute, including " Tlie International Scientific Series" by Dr W. Brown. "The Minerals of New South Wales" presented by the author, Professor Liversidge, of Sydney, and Baron yon Kttingshausen's pamphlet on "'1 he Fossil Flora of New Zealaud." The council are miking arrangements to complete the eets of periodicals in the library by obtaining back numbers which may be missing. During the session Bix new members have been elected. The number onthe roll is now 134, of whom nine are life members.

On the motion of Dr Hocken the report was unanimously adopted.. The balance sheet showed the subscrip;ions for the year to be £212; the balance cf income over expenditure £70 2a Id; and tlie amount to the credit of the institute £345 13s 7d. ELECTION Or OFFICEBS. Dr De Zouche, the retiring president, moved that Dr Belcher be elected president for the forthcoming year, and the proposition was carried with acclamation.

On the motion of Mr F. R. Chapman, Dr De Zouche and Dr Hocken were elected vicepresidents. Professor Gibbons was elected secretary; MrMelland, treasurer; and MrD. Brenr, auditor; and the following gentlemen were chosen as the council of the institute:—Messrs F. B. Chapman, A. Wilson, D. Petrie, C. W. Adams, George Thomson, and Professors Scott and Parker. GENERAL BUSINESS. Papers of a technical character were presented to the institute as follows:—

" Eevlsion of the New Zealand Idoteida," by Charles Chilton, M.A. " Ou paraßitic forim of Crustacea Bntomostraca," by Qeorge M. Thomson, F.L.B. " Description of new species cf N.Z. Aranese, witli notes on their habitß," by P. Goyeu. The President (Dr De Zouohe) then read an exceedingly valuable paper on " Bacteria in relation to disease." The address occupied over an hour and a-half in delivery and dealt with a very large and important subject in a manner which commanded the attention and approbation of the audience. After briefly reviewing the various theories of disease which have been from time to time accepted, Dr De Zouche devoted himself to dealing in a scientific manner with his subject, giving an account of many important observations and experiments by Pasteur and others. The address was illustrated by the aid of models and also by some i beautifully executed, diagrams, for which, the President explained, he was indebted to the kindness and skill of Mrs Hocken.

At the close of his address, Dr De Zouche vacated the chair in favour of his successor, Dr Belcher, the newly elected president. Dr Belcher on taking theohair said: I thank you heartily for the honour you have done me in electing me president of the Otago Institute. It will be my duly if all is well on the occasion of your next annual gathering to make some definite contributions, I hope, to the general work of the society; but, lam sure you will agree with me that ib will bo difficult, I won't say to rival, but even to approach, in interest, in treatment, or in exhaustiveness the very able paper to which we have listened from the outgoing president. We now go into th« period of our incubation, and all I will say is that as we bav.e thu cuauuel'or of the New Zealand Universily among us to-night in all likelihood the society will wake up duriug some portion of the month of February to welcome Sir James Hector and his colleagues of the Senate of the New Zealand University who find it is not incompatible with their surious academic duties to shed the lustre of their illustrious presence on our New Zealand Exhibition. The proceedings then closed.