Wellington Philosophical Society.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 4, 1871, Unnumbered Page

Wellington Philosophical Society. Fourth Annual General Meeting. 28th January, 1871. The Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, President, in the chair.

Second Meeting. 1st July, 1871. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. New members.—F. Allen, J. W. Buller, F. A. Cooper, Charles Hulke, M. Mosley, H. E. Tuckey, B.A., Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S. The President then delivered the following

Third Meeting. 22nd July, 1871. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. New member.—T. Cockburn Hood, F.G.S.

(Abstract.) The author first gave a sketch of the geological structure of the Australian continent, describing the rocks under the following heads:— The frame work of Australia consists of three islands or groups of old rocks, with probably some additional ones in the northern parts.

On the western side we have the granitic and metamorphic range of Western Australia. On the eastern side the great cordillera, consisting of granites, upper silurian rocks, and carboniferous sandstones of great thickness, containing valuable seams of coal. In the centre of the south-west the South Australian group of palæozoic slates and sandstones. Mesozoic rocks are not extensively found, unless a large part of the carboniferous rocks of New South Wales and Queensland should prove to be of triassic age. The coal rocks of Victoria are triassic, and occupy a considerable area of that colony. Professor McCoy has examined cretaceous fossils from the centre of Australia. Marine tertiary rocks occupy a large portion of the interior. Although trap rocks are found extensively in Australia, appearing to have broken through the sandstones in extensive sheets, no true sub-aerial craters have been discovered, except in Victoria, and there are no known active craters of eruption in Australia. In considering these features of the different divisions of Australia in detail, the peculiar formation of the mountains, the remarkable features of the rivers, and the distinctive characters of the bush land, are very clearly described. Slight sketches, brief outlines of the explorations of Sturt and others into the interior and across the “island continent” to the Gulf of Carpentaria, are given; while a short account of a journey from Sydney to Adelaide in 1832, gives a direct personal interest to the paper, which concludes with the following contrast between Australia and New Zealand:— “The most obvious contrast between Australia and New Zealand is that the former everywhere gives a nearly horizontal outline, while the aspect of the latter is towards the vertical. Consequently, in Australia the mountains are generally without grandeur, while New Zealand possesses some of the grandest, and at the same time the most varied mountain scenery in the world. Picturesque beauty in Australia is generally caused by rock scenery—scarps of sandstone, or huge bosses of granite, when they break the uniformity of the usual nearly level surface, have a pleasing effect. In the cañons of the Grove and the Cox, where deep valleys have been eroded from the sandstone, bounded by cliffs of great height, we have grand and wild effect, but cañons must be sought for; they do not strike the eye of a traveller as he passes through the country, and nine-tenths of the inhabitants of Sydney, although they daily see the Blue Mountains in the not very far distance, have never seen these deep and gloomy valleys, and hardly know of their existence. The open forest of

the usual country, the grassy glades, the timbered spurs of the western slope gently falling into open plains, are all entirely different from a New Zealand scene. The fiery glare of the mid-day sun glancing through the shadeless trees, and the rich purple hues of the sunset, are equally absent from the New Zealand landscape, or are modified and softened by the moister air of the ocean-surrounded colony. Although tree ferns and palms are well known in Australia, the regions where they are found bear no proportion in area to the mass of the country, so that they are practically unknown to the bulk of the inhabitants. Every New Zealander knows a tree fern, a cabbage tree, or a nikau palm. The New Zealand forest, particularly in the North Island, is of tropical aspect. Take a description of a South American jungle—it would fit in, word for word, for that of a New Zealand forest. The Australian bush stands by itself; it has a peculiar character, different from anything elsewhere. Australian lakes are few, and many of them shallow and liable to be dried up. In New Zealand the mountain lakes of Otago are equal to those of Switzerland or of Scotland, and in Canterbury and Nelson the continuation of these lakes to the N.N.E. offers scenery of the grandest description, although inferior in beauty to that of Otago. In the North Island, Lakes Taupo, Rotomahana, etc., with their geysers, hot water cascades, and deposits of silica, offer objects of beauty and interest which are unknown in Australia. New Zealand is a well watered, Australia a badly watered country. In the former colony one can hardly go for a few hundred yards without finding a stream, whereas, even in the better parts of Australia, the traveller may ride for a whole day before reaching a stream or a water hole. Australia has a continental, New Zealand an insular climate. Steady weather is the rule in Australia; in New Zealand constant change is the fashion. In Australia the mountain ranges only in one instance exceed 4,000 feet in height; in New Zealand Mount Cook approaches Mont Blanc in elevation, and heights of 8,000 feet are common. In the North Island are the volcanic cones of Mount Egmont, Ruapehu, and Tongariro, the two former about 9,000 feet in height. The small cones of Victoria are molehills in comparison, and are exceeded in height by numerous minor ones in the province of Auckland. In fact the New Zealand cordillera is on such a scale of magnitude that it would well form the backbone of a continent. The rivers of the provinces of Canterbury and Otago, if united on lower plains, might make a Ganges or an Indus, and the western rivers alone of the province of Wellington might, united, equal the Rhine or the Rhone. Such scenery as that of the sounds and harbours of the south-west coast of New Zealand—Milford Sound, Bligh Sound, Dusky Bay, etc.—is quite unknown in Australia. These deep inlets penetrate into the mountains, and cliffs several thousand feet in height look down upon the tiny ship which ventures into these solitary waters. In fine, geographically there are many points of resemblance between Aus-

tralia and New Zealand, while topographically there is great contrast. The flora and the fauna are, upon the whole, essentially different.” Dr. Hector in remarking on Mr. Crawford's paper, mentioned the recently discovered diamond bearing deposits in the Mudgee River in New South Wales. The diamonds are found in abandoned gold workings, and must have been repeatedly overlooked by the diggers. Their immediate source is from a bed of conglomerate or cemented drift, small areas of which have been preserved by cappings of basaltic lava. According to Dr. Thomson, who had recently published an interesting paper on the subject, about 2,500 diamonds were obtained in the first five months of systematic working, and many thousands have since been collected. He recommended the study of Dr. Thomson's account to explorers for minerals in New Zealand, and especially in the north-west districts of the province of Nelson. Mr. Hood remarked that one river only on the eastern slopes of the Australian Alps—the Clarence—contains the Murray Cod in abundance. He had noticed high pillars of basalt standing out in the central plains of Australia. He also stated that the Saurian remains from Australia bore considerable resemblance to those from New Zealand, but that the former were smaller.

(Abstract.) This garden is situated at about five chains from the foot of St. John's Bush, a wooded cliff some 90 feet in height, bounding the town of Wanganui on the north-west. The garden is, from its situation, exposed to almost the whole of the sun's warmth, and is also completely sheltered by the cliff from the prevailing wind—the north-west. Besides this natural protection, the north-western boundary of the garden is screened by a hawthorn hedge extending along its whole length, and averaging in height about 28 feet. Behind the hedge is a running stream, the percolation from the Virginia Lake, by which the whole of the garden can be irrigated. The spot on which the nursery is laid out was formerly the old bed of the Wanganui River, and subsequently an ancient forest. On the surface, therefore, is an average of from 3 to 4 feet, in many places deepening to 6 feet, of decayed vegetable matter, while the subsoil is a rich alluvial deposit. Its extent is five acres, of which about two and a half are orchard, one devoted to nursery stock, and the remainder to specimen trees and shrubs. The following table will give some idea of the luxuriant growth of the plants in this garden, to place which on record is the object of this communication:— Age (from Nursery Stock.) Names. Height. Spread of Branches. Trunk at Base. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. 3 Cupressus goviniana 17 0 14 0 2 1½ 3 " torulosa 7 8 7 0 1 4 3 " lawsonii 9 1 8 0 2 0 4 " benthamii 19 3 20 0 2 11½ 3 " pendula 7 0 6 0 0 7½ 2 " knightii 7 9 6 0 0 6 3 " sempervirens stricta 15 0 3 6 1 1 4 " macrocarpa 24 10 22 6 3 1 3 " ditto (denser in habit) 18 4 20 6 2 10 3 " corneyana 9 2 12 0 1 0 2 " schubertia (from seed) 4 6 4 6 0 4½ 3 " sempervirens 9 0 8 0 0 10½ 3 " craigiana 10 0 10 0 1 0 5 Oyster Bay Pine 11 0 14 0 1 9 3 Cryptomeria lobbii 15 0 8 6 1 6 2 " elegans 7 6 6 0 0 9 3 Pinus insignis 22 0 10 6 3 0 4 " sylvestris 11 6 10 0 1 10 3 " canariensis 11 0 4 0 1 4 3 " maritima (from seed) 10 6 9 0 1 2½ 3 " austriaca 8 9 7 0 1 4 3 " strobus 5 9 6 0 0 9 3 " coulterii 8 6 7 6 1 5 3 " longifolia 4 9 4 0 1 1

Age (from Nursery Stock.) Names. Height. Spread of Branches. Trunk at Base. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. 3 Biotia aurea 3 6 3 6 1 8 3 Cedrus deodara 8 0 7 0 0 11 3 " atlantica 6 0 6 0 0 8½ 3 Araucaria imbricata 4 1½ 4 0 0 6 3 " bidwellii 4 6 5 6 0 6 3 Wellingtonia gigantea 12 8 8 0 2 7 " do. (last year's growth) 6 8 — — 0 8½ 5 Taxus baccata 8 4 8 0 1 6 3 Quercus ilex 14 6 8 0 1 2 5 " robur (from seed) 17 6 10 0 1 5 4 Magnolia grandiflora 12 0 12 0 1 0 5 Betula alba (from seed) 20 0 16 0 2 0 3 Arbutus 12 4 10 0 1 11½ 3 Laurestinus (Hedge) 8 0 6 (base of hedge) 4 Laurus nobilis 12 0 6 0 1 10 3 Taxodium sempervirens 9 0 9 10 1 1 3 Fraxinus excelsior (from seed) 10 3 — — 0 7 3 Abies excelsior 8 4 — — 0 11 3 Cratœgus crus galli 9 0 6 0 — — 3 Oxycedrus juniperis 6 0 8 0 1 0 The above measurements were taken by me personally, and I consider them, in the main, correct.—Francis Williamson, Proprietor. I was present when the above measurements were taken, and I consider that they are generally correct.—Henry T. Pycroft.

Fourth Meeting. 26th August, 1871. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. New member—A. T. Bothamley. 1. “On the Bats of New Zealand,” by Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S. (See Transactions, p. 184.) Dr. Hector mentioned finding large numbers of the Long-eared Bat last summer when loosing the sails of H.M.S. ‘Clio’ in Milford Sound. The mistake of Dr. J. E. Gray, which Captain Hutton had referred to, in supposing that Forster had named the Long-eared Bat Vespertilio tuberculatus,

had, he remembered, been already pointed out, but the paper having been mislaid, he was unable to state the name of the author, or in what publication the correction had appeared. He considered that the change of name from Mystacina tuberculata to M. velutina, as proposed by Captain Hutton, was necessary. 2. “On a New and Rapid Process for the Generation of Sulphuretted Hydrogen Gas for use as a Re-agent in Laboratory Operations,” by W. Skey, Analyst to the Geological Survey of New Zealand. (See Transactions, p. 321.) Dr. Hector said that those who work in a laboratory would appreciate the great advantage of this process over the old ones. 3. “On the Geographical and other Features of some Little-known Portions of Wellington Province,” by H. C. Field. (See Transactions, p. 128.) Dr. Hector described the geology of the country referred to by Mr. Field, and said he considered that large parts of it were well adapted for settlement. 4. “On the Microscopical Structure of the Egg-shell of the Moa,” by Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S. (See Transactions, p. 166.) Dr. Hector asked whether the structure of the Ostrich egg was known. Mr. Hood asked the same question with regard to the egg of Æpyornis, and suggessed that, from its large size, it might be found analogous to that of the Kiwi, and not to that of the Struthious birds. Captain Hutton said that the structure of the Ostrich egg was well known. It was something like that of the Moa, but with the outer layer thinner, and the prisms often rhombic. He was not aware that the egg of Æpyornis had ever been examined, and thought the suggestion of Mr. Hood a very good one.

(Abstract.) If Phormium, Manilla, or Sisal fibre be submitted to the action of ordinary bleaching agents for a short time, and afterwards treated with alkalies, they immediately turn to a red or brown colour, showing the presence of an oxidizable substance distinct from the fibre. This substance is insoluble in hot or cold water, alcohol, ether, chloroform, or weak hydrochloric acid. That it is not present in such fibres as hemp, flax (linum), cotton, and rheea, is shown by the fact that they do not give this particular reaction. The President remarked that the discoveries of Mr. Skey, acting, as they did, differently on different fibres, would be a very valuable means of detecting adulteration.

(Abstract.) This paper described a method of isolating the ultimate fibres by boiling in a solution of potash, and a table of their measurements was given, from which it appears that the average length of the ultimate fibre of Phormium is nearly twice that of either Manilla or Sisal, while the average diameter is not much more than half that of Manilla, which, again, is much less than Sisal. The cell wall of Phormium is also much thinner than either of the others. Fifth Meeting. 16th September, 1871. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. New member.—H. Blundell (Crown Lands Office). 1. “Notes upon the Historical Value of the ‘Traditions of the New Zealanders,’ as collected by Sir G. Grey, K.C.B., late Governor-in-Chief of New Zealand,” by W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S. (See Transactions, p. 51.) Mr. J. T. Thomson said that the paper that he had read on the same subject some eight months ago before the Otago Institute (see Transactions, p. 23) could not have been known to Mr. Travers, as it was not yet published. He said that he had been much struck with the resemblance between the songs of the Maoris and those of the Oranglauts, a tribe being in the Indian Archipelago, but spread far and wide; their languages also are much akin to one another, but that of the Oranglauts is more Malayan than that of the Maoris. Captain Hutton said that, of the birds mentioned by Mr. Travers as supposed to have been brought here by the Maoris, the green parakeet (Platycercus novœ zelandiœ) had a wide range, though not found actually in the islands whence the Maoris are supposed to have come. A very similar species, however, P. pacificus, is found in those islands, and it is probable that our bird would have been at once recognised by the Maoris as similar to one in the islands they had left, and thus, perhaps, it came to be supposed that they had brought it. Dr. Hector drew attention to the fact that the Maoris have distinct names for all natural objects, and that the same names are used throughout all parts of the Islands. He knew of no savage race that equalled them in this respect, and thought this practice was adverse to the idea taught by their traditions, viz., that the Maoris, as we now find them, had spread slowly by natural increase from a few canoe loads of original settlers. It is far more probable that, after

the whole country was populated, one tribe got stronger than the others, and spread over the Islands, conquering the rest and carrying with them their own names and traditions, which may have nothing to do with their first coming, but refer only to their early fights among themselves. Mr. Travers said that the chief point of his paper was to show that the usually supposed date of the Maori landing, about 350 years ago, was much too recent, as it was impossible that so much could have been done in so short a time. 2. “Notes on the Lizards of New Zealand, with Descriptions of Two New Species,” by Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S. (See Transactions, p. 167). Dr. Hector said that the lizard from White Island, described by Captain Hutton, was the only one ever obtained there. He believed that the specimen had been brought to the Colonial Museum by the officers of H.M.S. ‘Brisk,’ in 1868. 3. “Observations on the New Zealand Bats,” by F. J. Knox, L.R.C.S.E. (See Transactions, p. 186.) Sixth Meeting. 30th September, 1871. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President in the chair. 1. “Notes on the Habits of some of the Birds of New Zealand,” by W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S. (See Transactions, p. 206). Captain Hutton drew attention to the important bearing on the Darwinian hypothesis of the peculiarity of the Whio, or Blue Duck, mentioned by Mr. Travers, which does not show any solicitude for the safety of its young like other ducks. Now the Blue Duck, having no allied forms found elsewhere, must be considered as one of the original inhabitants of New Zealand, whereas all the other ducks are, in comparison, colonists, their generic centres of distribution being in the northern hemisphere. There never having been any destructive animals in New Zealand till man came, this original duck never seems to have acquired instinctive fear, which the ancestors of the other ducks must have acquired by experience in other parts of the world before they migrated to New Zealand. Dr. Hector stated his experience that Wekas were much more easily snared in the South Island than in the North, owing, no doubt, to the greater experience they had acquired of the treachery of men in the island which had the denser native population. 2. “On some Experiments showing the Relative Value of New South Wales and New Zealand Coals as Gas-producing Materials,” by J. Rees George, C.E. (See Transactions, p. 146.)

The results of this inquiry show that, of all coals tried, the best is that from the Grey River, if the value of the coke, ease of working, and other circumstances are taken into account; but if mere gas-producing is the test, the Collingwood coal is superior. Both are, however, far in advance of the Sydney coal. The author stated as an unusual and interesting fact that the “slack” of the Grey coal gives more gas, and of better quality, than the screened coal. Dr. Hector thought that if the scheme of communication between the coal mine and the port, which Mr. Blackett and he had recommended, were adopted, the coal might be put on board at 8s. per ton. The quantity ascertained to exist is at least 4,000,000 tons, but there is reason to believe that a much greater extent of the seams will prove to be available when the industry is fairly started. He said Mr. George's results agreed very closely with those obtained by small experiments in the laboratory, and he had no hesitation in confirming the high opinion of the value of the coal that had been expressed by the author of the paper. The Hon. Mr. Waterhouse drew attention to the waste of coal that was taking place in various parts of the colony through wilful firing of the seams, and suggested that it might be advisable to have legislation on the subject. Dr. Hector informed the meeting that a coal seam, six miles north of the Grey River, was set fire to by some diggers more than a year ago, and is still burning. 3. “Notes in Support of the Alleged Alkalinity of Carbonate of Lime,” by W. Skey, Analyst to the Geological Survey of New Zealand. (See Transactions, p. 323).

Seventh Meeting. 14th October, 1871 W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. New Members.—H. Blundell, sen. (Willis Street), W. H. West, and S. Locke, R.M. 1. A series of Chinese Medicines was exhibited, that had been presented by Mr. Warden Beetham.

(Abstract.) The author states that nowhere in the old world is the influence of man on the physical configuration better seen than in Russia, as there some of the operations long ago effected in Western Europe (such as the clearing of forests and the cultivation of the land) are of recent date, and we can examine if the change of climate caused by the destruction of forests is as great as it is stated to be. The observations on the Wolga, made at the harbours of Astracan, furnish us with some means of doing so. With this view four ten-year periods are compared, as otherwise the anomalies of single years would be too conspicuous. — High Water Height in Eng. inches. Days Elapsed (a.) Covered with ice. (b.) Opened. (c) Beginning. (d.) Highest. (e.) End. a-b b-c b-d c-e 1830-37 Dec. 18 March 22 April 30 June 16 August 17 104 94 39 86 109 1838-47 " 14 " 23 " 28 " 18 " 31 90 99 36 86 125 1848-57 " 22 " 27 " 29 " 14 Sept. 12 113 95 33 79 136 1858-67 " 11 " 29 " 22 " 13 Oct. 31 117 108 24 76 191 General mean " 16 " 25 " 26 " 15 Sept.15 106 99 1844, 1857. 1837. 1835. 1848, 1864. 1831. 1867. Earliest Nov. 21 Feb. 20 March 25 May 25 June 30 147 Highest. 1856, 1857. 1833. 1856. 1865. 1802 1840. Latest Feb. 6 April 17 May 19 July 4 The water did not fall to 0 till January 59 Lowest.

The deductions drawn from these results are as follows:—- (1.) Though the opening of the river from ice now happens a little later than in former times, the high water begins earlier, so that the time elapsing between the opening and the beginning of high water is diminished from thirty-nine to twenty-four days, and the highest flood now arrives seventy-six days after the opening instead of eighty-six. (2.) The period of high water is becoming longer, and the height of the water generally a little increasing. In the continental climate of Eastern and Central Russia the earth is covered with snow for four or five months in the year, and the rivers are frozen for nearly the same time. Even in Astracan, in 46° 40′ north latitude, the river is frozen for nearly 100 days, and the middle temperature of winter is 21.7° Fahr. The rivers rise in spring, when the snow is melting. From Astracan to 51° north latitude, the land is generally a steppe and unaltered, but to the north the basin of the Wolga was covered with beautiful forests. Now, with the settling and cultivation, with the enormous increase of factories, and steam navigation on the rivers, the forest has been devastated to a great degree. In wooded countries the snow lies longer in spring, as it is protected by the trees—in some cases the difference may be a month. It melts slowly, and does not cause the disastrous floods which occur in a bare country. It will be seen also that the end of the flood arrives later and later. This gives an indirect answer to the question whether the quantity of rain has diminished or not after the felling of the wood. The table leads the author to think that there has been no diminution, but it must be remarked that in a wooded country more of the rain is retained by the roots, mosses, and fallen leaves, and, in consequence, less of it is free to reach the mouth of a river. In an open country most of the water which falls during the rains of summer runs to the rivers, destroying the arable land, so that even a greater quantity of rain may profit the surrounding country very little, and the inhabitants may be in the right when complaining of drought, if the land is cleared of forests, as seems to be the case in the basin of the Wolga. The complaints of the agriculturists are general, and the observations on rainfall have not been of sufficient duration to decide the question. The position of the Wolga basin affords indirect evidence on this point, as its rainfall is gathered into an inland sea—the Caspian—the level of which has greatly risen since 1866, and as most of its waters are poured in by the Wolga, we must infer that this river now collects more water than it did formerly. Dr. Hector said that the paper just read, the manuscript of which had been sent to him by the learned author, related so a subject of peculiar interest to New Zealand meteorologists, as the effect on the climate produced by the clearing of forests can be observed in this country without the complications due to distant influences which affect continental climates.

Mr. Hood thought that ten years was too short a time to judge of the effect. The climate of Egypt, Canada, and Scotland had been altered by the clearing of forests, and he considered that trees should be extensively planted. Mr. Blackett remarked that there was no doubt that the clearing of the forests in the province of Nelson had made the floods there much more serious than formerly. The President said that of late years the destruction of forest had been so great in France that the Government had been spending large sums of money in replanting. Floods in the Hutt River had much increased since clearings had been made, and they would probably still further increase unless steps were taken to preserve the forests. The same thing had also occurred in the province of Canterbury. Mr. J. A. Wilson remarked that Dr. Wojeikof's paper applied more to trees preventing the melting and blowing away of snow, and the case was, therefore, not quite similar to that of New Zealand. He thought that it would be very desirable to obtain observations of the snowfall on the globe as distinguished from the rainfall.

Eighth Meeting. 28th October, 1871. W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President, in the chair. New members.—James Brogden, W. S. Reid. The Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, F.G.S., was chosen Electing Member of the

Board of Governors for the ensuing year, in accordance with clause 7 of the New Zealand Institute Act. Presentation of books from Harvard College, U.S.A., the Smithsonian Institution, U.S.A., the Flax Commissioners, and Mr. Crompton, were placed on the table.

(Abstract.) The stream which passes my residence at Johnsonville abounds with eels, and, so far as I can observe, to the exclusion of any other fish. The Gallaxias, for instance, whilst it is numerous in the Tukapuha, which empties its waters into Porirua Harbour, is not found in the Ngahauranga, although the latter stream arises in the same group of hills, and is derived from the same locality. The Albino specimen, of which I place the skin and skeleton before the Society, was observed, day after day, moving about towards dusk in search of food. It resembled a portion of soiled calico, and had a rather repulsive aspect, more especially as the eyes were distinctly visible, being of a peculiar dead hue, and readily distinguished by their circular form. The specimen was ultimately brought to me by a keen and successful eel-catcher, who, although he had captured thousands, had never seen one of this description before. He appeared to consider it diseased, otherwise I would not have had the pleasure of bringing it under the notice of the Society. I have added my usual table of measurements, together with the dissection. Its weight (recent) was 10 ounces. Measurements. Inches. Snout to tip of tail 20.5 " to nostrils .1 " to centre of eye .6 " to angle of eye .7 " to gill aperture 3.0 " to pectoral fins 3.1 " to cloaca 9.0 " to dorsal fin 6.5 " to anal fin 9.1 Lateral line well marked; mucous apertures divided by 0.2 inch, secreting abundance of mucous. The abdominal viscera appeared perfectly healthy. I examined the entire intestinal tube with great care, and observed no parasites.

Ninth Meeting. 25th November, 1871. James Hector, M.D., F.R.S., in the chair. The chairman announced several valuable presentations to the Museum and library — including the “Transactions of the Zoological Society” of London, Professor Owen's latest work on the Moa; ferns, etc., from the island of St. Paul, presented by an officer of H.M.S. ‘Blanche,’ who had obtained them while on the island after the wreck of H.M.S. ‘Megæsra,’ and some Seal skulls brought by the officers of H.M.S. ‘Blanche,’ from the Auckland Islands.

(Abstract.) The author of this paper shows that the cause of the persistent suspension of clay in water, and its precipitation therefrom by certain substances, as pointed out by him in 1868, * “Chemical News,” No. 168. is connected with their chemical affinity for the water used; that, in fact, clay is capable of combining to any extent, with free water” (such as distilled water), and in the hydrous state is suspended

for an indefinite time. The precipitating effects of the salts and acids, he cites, is due to the exercise of a higher affinity for water on their part; these affinities being superior to those of clay for the same liquid, the clay is partially dehydrated, and thus brought into a condition resembling that of solid clay, both physically and chemically, in which state it precipitates mechanically. The substance having the greatest precipitating effect upon clay in water is sulphuric acid, one part of which is effective upon 25000 parts of the mixture. Generally, spring water is sufficiently charged with salts to effect the clarifying of clay water in twenty-four hours or so. A. solution of magnesia, a substance which one would take to be quite inert, soon clarifies clay water, though it requires 7000 parts of water to dissolve it. The author shows how water may thus be purified for use. He then demonstrates that most, if not all, natural clays, if only mixed with a small quantity of water, do not remain persistently suspended. This he attributes to the presence, sometimes of salts, sometimes of carbonic acid. He then shows that clay-slate, brick, etc., or any other kind of indurated clay, is resolvable into the most hydrated clay direct by simply pulverizing it in pure water. The author lastly discusses Professor Jevons' theory for the explanation of this suspension and precipitation of clay in water. This theory was broached in the “London Chemical News” under the heading “On the so called molecular movements of microscopic particles,” and is an attempt to attribute the phenomena under consideration to the agency of electricity. Professor Jevons conceives these particles, as they persistently suspend themselves in water, to be charged with electricity, by which they move about, owing to a series of electrical attractions and repulsions, and so remain suspended by reason of these motions; the insulation of these charged particles being, as he thinks, sufficiently provided for by the use of pure water. The effects of certain salts upon the mixture (in precipitating the particles) he ascribes to the fact that such additions render the liquid an electric conductor, so that the electricity passes off instantly, and thus restores to the particles the same electrical state as the surrounding liquid, when they lose all power of electrical movements. The author of the present paper shows that theoretically and experimentally this theory of Professor Jevons is quite incompetent to explain these phenomena in the case of clay at least, if not also for the other substances he cites; but that, as stated before, they are susceptible of explanation on the assumption of a very large quantitative affinity of this substance for water—but an affinity of a very weak intensity; so weak that most of the common salts are able to overcome it, and so remove the clay as a chemical precipitate.

The Hon. Mr. Mantell said he had noticed that a tub of muddy well water was always cleared by the rain-water running into it from the roof of his house. Captain Hutton remarked that chlorophyll presents an analogous case to clay. It is suspended in water, but precipitated by some salts such as protochloride of tin. 4. “On a Form of Electro-magnetic Seismograph, adapted for indicating and registering Minute Shocks,” by W. Skey. (See Transactions, p. 330.) 5. “On a New Process for the Manufacture of Sulpho-cyanide of Potassium,” by W. Skey. (See Transactions, p. 330.) 6. “On the Absorption of Copper from its Ammoniacal Solution by Cellulose, in the presence of Caustic Potash,” by W. Skey. (See Transactions, p. 332.)