Wellington Philosophical Society.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 14, 1881, Unnumbered Page

Wellington Philosophical Society. First Meeting. 6th August, 1881.

Second Meeting. 20th August, 1881. Dr. Hector, President, in the Chair. 1. “Remarks on the Sand Dunes of the West Coast of the Provincial District of Wellington,” by W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 89). Dr. Buller stated that the sandhills around Wanganui, which previously had caused such damage in drifting, had been successfully fixed by the planting of the common Mesembryanthemum. At Manawatu, the railway line, which was frequently covered with sand, had been protected by hedges of flax plants. Dr. Hector agreed with Mr. Travers that something ought at once to be done to fix and utilize these dunes. He mentioned other districts where great inconvenience was caused by the shifting of the sandhills. He had some years ago advised the authorities at Carlisle how best to plant such hills, with grass as a border and pines inside, which had answered well. He had, in the early days, suggested the planting of the steep cutting on the Wellington Terrace with the plant mentioned by Dr. Buller, and, had it been done, they would have looked pleasant to the eye, and averted the damage by the heavy rains. In reply, Mr. Travers added that perhaps, where practicable, water channels would arrest the progress of the sand. 2. “On the Alpine Flora of New Zealand,” by John Buchanan, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 342). Dr. Hector explained that this was the first of a series of papers by the author, the result of a botanical expedition which he made last year in the Otago Alps. It was curious that comparatively few new species had been added to the New Zealand flora from this locality, although it had not been visited since 1863, when Mr. Buchanan, in company with himself, had examined and collected from it. An interesting discussion took place with regard to the spear-grass and its properties. Mr. Travers pointed out the wonderful manner in which the flower-stalk is protected by spines, without any obvious purpose. Dr. Hector thought it must have protected the plant from being destroyed by the moa in former times. 3. “On some new Marine Planarians,” by T. W. Kirk. (Transactions, p. 267).

4. “Additions to the List of New Zealand Shells,” by T. W. Kirk. (Transactions, p. 268). 5. “On the supposed Paraffin Deposit at Waiapu,” by W. Skey. (Transactions, p. 397). Dr. Hector gave an interesting account of the locality and of how the substance occurred, being the petroleum that escapes from surface-wells altered by oxidation into a kind of mineral grease. 6. “On a Search for the Poisonous Principle of Brachyglottis repanda and B. rangiora,” by W. Skey. (Transactions, p. 400). 7. “Further Information bearing on the Subject of the Lung-worm in Sheep,” by Dr. Hector. Mr. Travers stated that in France experiments had been made by Pasteaur, an eminent scientific man, to cure this disease by inoculation, which had proved most successful. This was of the greatest importance, as by this means thousands of sheep had been saved in France. 8. Dr. Hector then drew attention to several interesting additions to the Museum, which were on the table :—among others extracts from the barks of New Zealand woods, used for tanning purposes by Mr. Grayling of Taranaki, which had been highly spoken of at the Exhibitions at Sydney and Melbourne: fossil bones from Australia, one nearly allied to our moa : cast of a medal struck by the Admiralty for Captain Cook to distribute to the natives of various islands, which was found in Queen Charlotte's Sound, in 1878. Attention was also called to the two casts of the statues of “Hermes” and the “Boy and Goose,” lately presented to the Colonial Museum by the German Government. Third Meeting. 3rd September, 1881. Dr. Hector, President, in the Chair. New Member.—E. R. Chudleigh. 1. “On the Notornis,” by W. L. Buller, C.M.G., Sc.D., F.R.S. (Transactions, p. 238). Sir William Fox mentioned that he had frequently seen the two first specimens alluded to by the author in the galleries of the British Museum, where, on account of their rarity, they evidently attracted a considerable amount of attention. Mr. Travers mentioned a circumstance which had come to his knowledge, on the authority of a Mr. Goddard, proving, as he thought, the existance of Notornis at no very distant period in other parts of the South Island. Mr. Henry Travers gave some supplementary information on the same authority. Dr. Hector said he had made enquiries in 1863 about Mr. Mantell's specimens, and, from the Natives who actually caught them, learnt the precise localities, as stated by the author, to whom he had communicated the information. He considered it very remarkable that the only three specimens of such a large and conspicuous bird had been obtained in places so far apart, and thought it most likely that there were still plenty of survivors in the south-west of Otago, where there was over 600 square miles of country that had never yet been explored.

Fourth Meeting. 17th September, 1881.

Fifth Meeting. 22nd October, 1881. Dr. Hector, President, in the chair. New Members.—G. B. Williamson, C. Gillespie. 1. Mr. Martin Chapman was chosen to vote in the election of Governors of the New Zealand Institute for the ensuing year, in conformity with clause 7 of the New Zealand Institute Act. 2. “Notes on the Mineralogy of New Zealand,” by S. H. Cox, F.G.S. (Transactions, -p. 418). The minerals dealt with on this occasion were the ores of arsenic, antimony,—tellurium, and bismuth. Dr. Hector remarked on the importance of this paper, and said that although some of the minerals might not appear of much value, yet fhey indicated the presence of other and more important minerals. In speaking of the Thames and Coromandel districts, he pointed out the similarity which exists between the mineral deposits there and at the Comstock in America, and Schemnitz in Hungary. Twelve years ago the Comstock lode was worked for gold, which occurred in the form of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver; but now the lodes have passed in depth into silver lodes, and are worked at nearly 2,000 feet from the surface, and the nature of the rocks and associated minerals affords reasonable grounds for expecting that a similar development may take place at the Thames, as mining works are carried on. The minerals mentioned by the author show the influence of hydrothermal action similar to that which is still in activity at Rotomahana, denudation having removed the superficial rocks at the Thames, and exposed the core into which the mineral veins have been infiltrated. The same minerals described as found on the West Coast

occur under different conditions, and in an older formation, similar to that at Gympie Creek in Queensland. He pointed out the importance of the diamond drill in exploring such deposits, and stated that New Zealand was yet only on the threshold of its true mining development.

Sixth Meeting. 21st January, 1882. Dr. Hector, President, in the chair. New Members.—E. Best, Allen Hogg, M. Fearnley, C.Hedley, J. McLennan, A. F. Somerville, and Dr. T. R. King. A list of the additions to the library since last meeting (some 40 volumes) was laid on the table, and the principal objects added to the Museum were exhibited. 1. “A Study of the Causes leading to the Extinction of the Maori,” by Alfred K. Newman, M.B., M.R.C.P. (Transactions, p. 459.) Dr. Grace agreed with a good deal in the paper, but did not accept the statement that the Maori race were dying out so fast as the author seemed to think. No doubt they were decreasing, and the fundamental cause was their indolent habits. If it were possible to make the Maoris do a fair share of work for their existence the race would improve. In Jamaica, which was a fertile country, the natives were lazy, and they were decreasing; but in Barbadoes, where the soil and climate were not so good, and where they were obliged to work for their living, they were increasing. We had a duty to perform in improving the race. We had to a certain extent deprived them of their vigorous habits, and have not succeeded in impressing upon them the benefits to be derived from true industry and virtue. He did not think they suffered much more from introduced diseases than did Europeans. The need for healthy manual labour was at the root of the evil, especially in a humid climate like ours, where such habits are necessary. He did not look with despair at the future of the Maori, and he thought that in fifty years hence we should have a larger population of natives than we have now. The President, in thanking Dr. Newman for his eloquent address, said he was inclined to agree with Dr. Grace, except that he appeared to underrate the effect of the great epidemics of measles and such diseases in former times; but the Maori race was not at present decreasing so fast as formerly, except in the vicinity of towns and large settled districts. In the King country he had seen large families of healthy children. He therefore could not agree with the author in attributing the decrease of the Maoris to an inherent tendency to decay. We were really to blame, and chiefly from having induced the natives to abandon their old habits and customs. We have destroyed their social organization, and not replaced it with ours. In serving our own purposes we have under-

mined the authority of the chiefs, without being able to establish European authority among them as a substitute. There appears to be no reason why the race should have decayed if it had been left alone, or only gradually assimilated to our own, and it is no use trying to excuse ourselves by any other natural law but that of might. Dr. Newman, in replying, said that he still believed the race was disappearing, and that evidence to bear out that fact would befound in his paper. 2. “Fallacies in the Theory of Circular Motion,” by T. Wakelin, B.A. Univ. N.Z. (Transactions, p. 134).

Annual Meeting. 11th February, 1882. Dr. Hector, President, in the Chair. New Members—J.S. Reid, Chas. Monaghan.