Otago Institute.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 3, 1870, Unnumbered Page

Otago Institute. Seventh Meeting. August 9, 1870. His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, President, in the chair. The following new members were elected:—A. A. Barnet, John Mitchell, A. W. Smith, H. J. Walter, Basil Sievwright, and D'Arcy Haggitt. 1. “On Periodic Vertical Oscillations of the Earth's Atmosphere, and the connexion existing between the Fluctuations of Pressure as indicated by the barometer and the changes of the weather,” by H. Skey. (See Transactions.) The paper was illustrated by diagrams and experiments.

(Abstract.) This bird was killed at the head of the Wakatipu Lake, above Queenstown, and forwarded to the Museum by Mr. J. S. Worthington. It is not described by Mr. Buller in his Essay “On the Ornithology of New Zealand,” which forms part of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, Vol. i.; but a similar bird is referred to in a paper read by Mr. Buller last year, before the Wellington Philosophical Society, as having been received at the Canterbury Museum. This bird is provisionally named the New Zealand Little Bittern (Ardeola Novœ Zelandiœ), and the following is a description of it:— Height 12½ in.; length from point of bill to tip of tail 14¾ in.; from tip of bill to gape 2¾ in; wing from flexus 6 in. Tibia is feathered to ⅜ in. of tarsus joint; mit toe 2¾ in., serrated as in common bittern; primary quills of wings and tail bluish black above, shading into slate colour below; wing coverts buff; scapulars, back, and centre ribs, dark brown, shading into rufous down each web; margins light buff; flexure joint tipped with a rufous or rust-coloured spot; top of head bluish black; back of neck rusty brown; front of neck or throat reddish brown

with broad white webs or margins; breast chestnut colour with light buff margins; under body and thighs brown with greyish white margins; legs and bill yellowish green; eyes rufous brown.* Mr. Potts has identified this Bittern as Ardetta pusilla, Gould. See ante, page 95; also, No. B. 75, Art. XI., Trans., Vol. iii.—Ed.

(Abstract.) This skeleton was found in the bed of an old creek, near the Water of Leith, and to all appearances must have been there at a period prior to the formation of this settlement, as the ground has been in the author's possession for upwards of nine years, and has never been disturbed. As set up, it stands 36 in. high; full length of body from neck vertebra to tip of caudal vertebra 17 in.; caudal 3 in.; neck 33 in.; head and bill 5½ in.; wings, humerus, 10 in.; ulna 9⅜ in.; metacarpus 4⅝ in.; os magnum, or phalanx, 2 in.; thumb 1½ in.; femur 3¾ in.; tibia 7¼ in.; tarsus 4¼ in.; centre toe 5½ in.; number of vertebræ from sacrum to cranium 30; caudal 8. Eighth Meeting. August 24, 1870. His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, President, in the chair. The following new members were elected:—Revs. E. G. Edwards and E. H. Granger; W. N. Blair, Richard Wilding, Thomas Ulph, J. B. Park, and John Stables. 1. “On the Political and Economical Aspect of Railways,” by Mr. Justice Chapman. (See Transactions.) Mr. Bathgate expressed the pleasure he had experienced in listening to the interesting and able address of the President, and was glad to corroborate the statements made therein. He had considerable experience on this subject, and had had the honour to be examined before Parliament with regard to more than one railway. The cost of railways in England was 600 millions, the national debt 800 millions. The introduction of railways into any country was a double gain; it increased production, and decreased the cost of production. He referred to the necessity of constructing a cheap line of railway, which would be sufficient for all their requirements, one not to cost over £5000 per mile, and pointed out the advisability of their urging forward the formation of railways in Otago.

Ninth Meeting. September 13, 1870. Mr. J. T. Thomson, F.R.G.S., Vice President, in the chair. The following new members were elected:—Win. Mason, H. J. Abel, and W. Downie Stuart.

(Abstract.) In nature, all forces tend towards certain points, or “centres of force,” these centres being the affected particles themselves. These attractive forces are found to depend principally on the mutual distances apart of the particles; and the nature of this dependence on the distance is denominated the law of force. The particular “law of force” by which a moving body is actuated may be ascertained from the nature of the curve in which it moves, and this last is a matter to be determined by observation. When two material particles move in obedience to their mutual attractions, whatever the law of force may be, it may be shown that (1) they move in a plane which is invariable, (2) their common centre of gravity moves with uniform velocity in a straight line (this velocity may be zero), and (3) the lines joining the bodies and their common centre of gravity sweeps out equal areas in equal times. But, in the case of more than two bodies in motion attracting each other, it is generally found that neither moves continually in the same orbit, but is disturbed by the attraction of the others, and compelled to vary its course considerably. This is the case in the solar system. Neither the earth nor any of the other planets move in fixed orbits, but are continually perturbed in their motions, but certain peculiarities in its present constitution effectually prevent any injury to its stability. The particular law of force proposed for consideration by the author, is that each particle attracts proportionally to its mass and distance from the attracted particle. It is shown that the members of a system of material particles actuated by this law would move in permanent undisturbed orbits, that is, there would be no perturbation. The orbits would be ellipses, relatively to the principal heavy central body which would be in the common centre of the ellipses, and the mean angular motions would be all equal, that is, all would complete their revolutions in equal times.

2. “On the Mechanics and Mechanical Economy of Railways,” by G. M. Barr. (See Transactions.) Mr. Bathgate, in opposition to the views enunciated in this paper, advocated the construction of narrow gauge railways, lightly built, and adapted to the natural features and sufficient for the traffic of this country; not a system of wide gauge railways, with deep cuttings and tunnels, and heavy rolling stock. Mr. Blair said that the estimates of the Clutha line compared favourably with the light lines which had been constructed in Queens- land. The estimate of the proposed line was £15,000 more than the average cost of the same length of the narrow gauge line in Queensland and the difference was, he considered, so much laid out towards securing the safety of those who would travel by it. Mr. Watt alluded to the success of the Dun Mountain Railway whilst the ore was required, and said he would advocate light railways and a narrow gauge. There was no use in having heavy engines and heavy trucks pulling a little weight. Mr. Cargill participated in the feeling of dissatisfaction expressed by Messrs. Bathgate and Watt at the statements set forth in the paper, for, according to it, railways with the traffic here could not be worked except at a loss. The engineers here should study economy, and suit the means to the end. Mr. Stout was understood to support the arguments set forth in the paper. We might get a cheap railway, but it would not eventually be able to carry the traffic as the trade of the inland districts expanded. Mr. Wilding thought the only way to economize would be to have the rails and rolling stock no heavier than would suffice to carry the traffic, and as inexpensive as possible. The bridges and stations should be cheap and unornamental, and constructed at the lowest possible expense. Mr. Hawthorne did not think it fair to take the average cost per mile of the Queensland railways as a standard of comparison, for they were constructed over a country, part of which was remarkably precipitous, and this had tended to raise considerably their average cost. Railways had been constructed in some parts of the country at from £6000 to £7000 per mile, and their cost had been increased by the Government taking the initiative. But now, with the experience gained there, he had heard that railways could be constructed for about £4000 per mile. Mr. Doyne, of Victoria, once the champion of the 4 ft. 8½ in. gauge, had, with others, since his visit to Queensland, expressed himself

as being strongly in favour of the 3 ft. 6 in. gauge. It was best adapted to the conformation of the country, and more suitable to the traffic there. The single line of railway, which he had not heard referred to, might possibly be found of use in parts of this country. The borrowing of large sums might some day land the country in anything but a solvent position, and he thought it wise that all available information should be collected before the construction of new works was undertaken. The Rev. Mr. Stuart said that railways were the life of a country, and they had arrived at that stage when something practical should be done, but he did not believe that they could get good railways constructed at a low price. The Chairman said that the “battle of the gauges” was occupying the attention of the ablest engineers in the home country. Some of the most eminent men were ranged on both sides, and no doubt both parties were acting on opinions drawn from their own experience. But, as colonists, he thought they had to consider what best suited them, independent of England, Norway, or any other country. He thought, considering the conformation of the colony, that there would be considerable diversity of opinion in the different provinces with respect to the advantages of the different gauges. The gauge of the Canterbury Railway was 5 ft. 3 in., that of the Southland Railway 4 ft. 8½ in., and that of Otago, whose conformation was different from that of those provinces, would, he thought, be of another width. Here the country was different from the plains of Canterbury. It was hilly, and they would have to carry their railway into the interior to reach the centres of mining and farming. In the narrow gauge there was a saving in the cutting. The carrages were spread over a greater length than on the wide gauge, and the weight was therefore distributed over a greater area—hence the bridges need not be so strongly constructed. The question was whether the population of New Zealand could bear the cost of the proposed lines. Mr. Barr's common sense views would, he thought, act as correctives to those who were more enthusiastic. Mr. Barr, in reply, said he would consider an engineer very culpable who stated views which could not be borne out by figures. He certainly could not tell upon what grounds Mr. Bathgate had founded his views, and he adhered to the opinion that the 4 ft. 8½ in. gauge was the best for the country.

Tenth (Special) Meeting. October 31, 1870. Mr. J. T. Thomson, F.R.G.S., Vice President, in the chair. The Chairman stated that the meeting had been called for the purpose of appointing a member of the Otago Institute to vote in the election of Governors of the New Zealand Institute. On the motion of Mr. W. D. Murison, seconded by Dr. Hocken, Mr. Justice Chapman was appointed. Eleventh Meeting. November 22, 1870. His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, President, in the chair. The following new members were elected:—Drs. Buchanan and W. A. Yates; W. A. Tolmie, Wm. Dalrymple, G. H. Campbell, J. T. McKerras, B. C. Haggitt, Thos. Calcutt, Henry Howorth, T. K. Weldon, James Walcot, Percy Neill, E. W. Humphreys, R. S. Gardiner, D. L. Simpson, and George Young. 1. “On some Ethnological Considerations as to the Whence of the Maori,” by J. T. Thomson, F.R.G.S. (See Transactions.) The author, in a very full manner, dealt with the probable origin of the different races inhabiting the Malay Peninsula and Indian Archipelago, illustrating his remarks with drawings of natives belonging to the various tribes inhabiting these regions, as well as Hindostan. He referred also to the peculiarities of the languages of those races, more especially the Malays; and stated that his opinion was different from that generally held, that the Maoris were of Malay origin. As the paper extended to a considerable length, it was determined to postpone the reading of the latter part until the following Tuesday evening. Twelfth Meeting. November 29, 1870. His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, President, in the chair. The remainder of Mr. J. T. Thomson's paper on the “Whence of the Maori,” was read.