OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1816, 10 September 1886, Page 9

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

The general meeting of the Otago Institute was held in the Museum on Tuesday evening. Professor Parker presided, and there were about 60 persons present. Mr George Fenwick was elected a member of the institute. A letter was read from Mr Morland, of Cramford, near Hanslow, England, asking if the institute kuew of any persons who wrote about diatoms, and if they would correspond and send him exchanges. Professor Silyersidge, of the Sydney University, wrote asking whether the institute would co-operate with the Australian ones in founding a scientific society on the lines of the British association. Mr H. K. Rnsden, hou. secretary of the Royal Society of Victoria, wrote forwarding the following report with reference to a proposed Antarctic cruise : — I. An Antactic Exploration Committee having been appointed by the Koyal Society of Victoria and the Geographical Society ot Australasia, its members desire to place before the public a brief memorandum of the objects to be ser, ed by the enterprise. .- 2. Nearly 50 years have elapsed since the last expedition was despatched to the South Polar regions, and this committee consider that the time has arrived when another might be sent out with advantage. 3. Geographical discovery has ever borne an extended commerce as its fruit, while a'multaneoueiy promoting various utilitarian sciences. Its objects naturally divide themselves into discoveries whica may offer to mankind a direct return in the shape of new stores of merchantable products, and discoveries which simply add to our stock ot knowledge. 4. The whale trade ha 9 been a lucrative one in the past, but the steady warfare so long maintained against these animals has now nearly exhausted all the old fishing grounds, so that last year the whole English whaling fleet returned almost empty. Now, there is reason to b lieve that an abundantly stocked fishing ground exists within ten days' sail of Australia, only awaiting the advent of steam whalers to yield rich returns. 5. It would indeed be strange if an unexplored region 8,000,000 square miles in area— twice the size of Europe— and grouped around the axis of rotation and the magnetic pole, could fail to yield novel and valuable data to the investigator. Our acquaintance witli tho geography of the region is excessively limited. We have charted a few discontinuous coast lines between 45deg and 180deg B. and between 45jeg and 7-*deg W. lloss just viewed the coasts of Victoria land; twice he trod upon its shores, discovering its huge volcanoes and its icy barrier. We do not yet kuow whethe.these scattered shores constitute parts of a continent or whether they are, like the coasts of Greenland, but portions of an archipelago, smothered under an overload of frozen snow which conceals their insularity. 6. Further observations of the local sea currents with their temperatures are desirable, with the view of ascertaining the existence of open water or of passages leading towards the pole. 7. Vr Croll lias calculated that the edge of the polar ice cap must be squeezed off the land at the minimum rate of speed of a quarter of a mile per annum, and this estimate requires to be checked by actual admeasurement. 8. Many interesting geological problems present themselves for solution ; amongst others the structure of the cones ot the volcanic mountains Erebus and Terror may be modified superficially by the intercalation of layers of frozen snow between the ttrata composed of ejected matter. Again, their position at the end of a line of weak earthcrust which, starting near Behring's Straits, passes through New Zealand, renders it a matter of importance that their recent condition should be known, as it might be such as would confirm or confute the existence ot a seismic oimeetion with the latter island, which is now specul •tively inferred. 9. The discovery of fossils in any Antarctic formations would be an event of peculiar interest, ahe South Polar regions may have had sejular climatic changes as great as i hose which have been experi encect by the North Polar. If such have occurred — If South Polar lands now icebound were once as prolific of life as Disco and Spitsbergan have been — then, like Spitsbergan and Disco, they may st : ll ret >in organic evidences ot the fact in the shape of fossil-bearing bed 3, and to find these would be to discover the key to the past history of the Southern hemisphere. 10. The climato'ogy of this region requires further investigation. The permanent existence of extreme conditions over an area so immense and situated so near to Australasia must react powerfully upon our climate. The weather recorded in the highest southern latitudes yet atta'ned was marked by calms, blue skies, clear atmosphere, and a limited range of temperature concurring in a degree which contrasts favourably with the climate of the Arctic, and which surprised Kos9 and his companions. 11. The position of the South Magnetic Pole ought to be again determined in order to ascertain whether auy change of location has occurred 6ince Koss' time. 12. It is desirable that pendulum observations should be taken at points situated around and as near as possible t > the pole, in order to enable physicists to calculate the form of that part of the earth's figure. 13. The phenomena of auroras present a wide and important field for research ; extended observations such as Dr Sophus Tromholt has recently made in the North ought to be repeated intheSonthernhemiaphere, but to be effective it is indispensable that they should be conducted in very high latitudes, llecently, some advance has been made in our knowledge of their nafcur--. They are found to change their character and the position of their maxima of intensity periodically — some phases occurring daily, others with the seasons ; and in addition to these changes an eleven-yeav cycle of greatest intensity lias been deduced. 14. Speaking generally. It is de irable that more precise knowledge respecting the physical conditions of the Sou'h Po'ar regio ,s should be obtainei, especially with reference to terrestrial magnetism and volcanic and seismic agencies, and still more particularly to the meteorological conditions of the several zones to the south of the 50th degree of at'tude. In concluding this memorandum the committee desire to say that in the endeavour to achieve these objects the co-operation of the learned eoeiefes of the other colonies will besought, and by its aid it is hoped that influental committees will be appointed In all the centres of population. Wherever possible lectures upon the subject should also be given. By such means as these, and with the assistance of the press, the project will be brought prominently before the public; and should the efforts put forth arouse a general and genuine interest in the undertaking, the several Parliaments of Austra'asia -would ba asked to contribute towards the necessary funds. Should the colonial Parliaments and the public respond favourably, this committee wou'd be enabled to approach the English committee with a contribution which would justify it in asking that Australasia might be aseociated with the mother countiy in carrying through this great undertaking. EARLY HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND. Dr Hocken gave a portion of the fifth of his series of lectures on the early history of New Zealand, and treated at great length of Hone Heke's war, leaving off at the battle of Okaihau. Owing to the great length of the lecture the doctor was unable to deliver it all in the time at his disposal. The part, however, which he managed to get through proved exceedingly interesting, and was duly appreciated by the audience. A feature in connection with the lecture was the pictures with which it was illustrated. Amongst these were pictures drawn more than 40 years ago by Sergeant Williams, who fought through the Maori war. These pictures formed almost a complete series, only one being missing. This one was in the Auckland Museum, to which institution it had been presented by Judge Manning. There was also a viewof Kororareka.takenfrom the deck of a vessel the day before it was destroyed in March 1845, and pictures of Heke and his wife and Rawiti. In addition to the above there were views of the routes taken by our soldiers to the scene of the

war ; a plan of pahs drawn by Lieutenant Wilmot of the Royal Artillery ; and a plan of Ruapekapeka pah drawn by Captain Nopps, assisted by — . Groves, junior, of H.M.S. Racehorse.

Dr Hocken will deliver the remaining portion of his lecture about a fortnight hence. Wo will take an early opportunity of publishing it.