OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2046, 11 May 1893, Page 21

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

The first meeting of members and friends to inaugurate the session of 1893 was held in the museum buildings, Great Kingstreet, on Tuesday evening, and was attended by about 60 ladies and gentlemen. Amongst those present were Messrs C. W. Adams, E. Melland (vice-presi-dents), and A. Hamilton (secretary), Professors Sale, Parker, Scott, and Gibbons, Sir R. Stout, Messrs W. Hutchison, M.H.R., F. R. Chapman, and D. Petrie. The president, Dr Hocken, was unable to be present, and consequently the delivery of his address had to be postponed. The following new members were elected : — Messrs T. Mackenzie, M.H.R,, Murray Aston, and John Shacklock.

Mr C. W. Adams (vice-president) opened the conversazione by announcing that the president had been suddenly called away, and that consequently they w/)uld not that evening have the pleasure of seeing and hearing Dr Hocken, It therefore became his (Mr Adams's) duty to welcome the ladies and gentlemen present, and he would also like to welcome very sincerely their friend Dr Parker, who had lately returned from England. He hoped the present session would be productive of a good many more original papers than the last session had been, and that increased interest would be taken in the work of the institute. It would afford him pleasure to see more young men joining. Twenty or 30 years ago he and other members had joined as young men, but they were now growing old, and he regretted to say that the young people were not joining in proportion to the population. He might remark that they had hoped to have a great many more exhibits for inspection, but several of the cases Professor Parker had brought from England had not yet been delivered. In concluding, he had simply to announce that later on in the evening refreshments would be provided. A great number of interesting objects were inspected during the conversazione. Among the exhibits there were some Maori bone implements from Mr F. R. Chapman's valuable collection ; a cast of the celebrated koro tangi, or stone bird, found buried in the North Island ; a/ac simile of the recently recovered papyrus of Aristotle's treatise on the Constitution of Athens ; two pretty etchings shown by Professor Parker ; the skull of an elephant and one of a hippopotamus, and very beautiful specimens of two species of albatross. Of the objects of interest, a pair of very rare rails (Cabalus modestus) and some other scarce birds from the Chatham Islands probably occupied the foremost place. During the evening a subscription list was circulated for the purpose of securing this very desirable collection for the museum, and as the result they will doubtless be purchased. A piece of the flexible sandstone found in India, which has been recently presented to the institute, was also exhibited.

During the evening refreshments were provided and a very pleasant and not unprofitable time was spent by the members of the institute and their friends.