440 Proceedings. 



overspread the South Pacific. Captain Hutton proceeded to say that he 

 thought ail geologists who had examined New Zealand were pretty well 

 agreed on most points of its geological history. There were only a few 

 points on which they differed. He then went on to give details as to the 

 general geological structure of New Zealand, and referred to the con- 

 clusions to be drawn from a study of these details. In concluding, he 

 referred to the fact that the great river-gorges in Central Otago had been 

 cut out by the action of glaciers. He also mentioned the well-known 

 fact that Lake Wakatipu formerly overflowed at the Kingston end, but 

 owing to the formation of a huge moraine which blocked up that exit 

 the outlet by means of the Kawarau was formed. In this connection, he 

 observed that he did not know if there were any persons present in- 

 terested in mining, but he might say that the ISIolyneux Gorge was some 

 two million years old, while the Kawarau Gorge was only about two 

 hundred thousand. They would know what that meant. 



Annual Meeting : 15th November, 1899. 

 Mr. F. E. Chapman, President, in the chair. 



Neiv Member. — Mr. Meggitt. 



The Hon. Secretary, Mr. A. Hamilton, read a paper by 

 Professor Ulrich on a Tasmanian rock resembling leucite 

 syenite porphyry. 



The base of the rock is of a syenite type, and in it occur porphyriti- 

 cally distributed yellowish-brown crystals (trapezohedrons), which under 

 the microscope, in polarised light with crossed nicols, have, in thin 

 sections, exactly the same double refraction as leucite. From the fact of 

 its fusion very easily to a magnetic globule, the crystals appear to be 

 garnet, which exhibit the hitherto unrecorded property of occurring in 

 twitined form, resembling leucite. Chemical examination of the rock 

 confirms this conclusion. 



Abstract of Annual Report. 



Nine meetings of the Council have been hold, and six meetings of 

 members, at which fifteen papers were read. 



The Council were able to arrange with Captain Hutton, P.R.S., to 

 come down from Christchurch and give a lecture on the " Geological 

 History of New Zealand." 



Two members of the Council resigned on leaving the district — Mr. 

 B. C. Aston and Mr. J. S. Tennant. Their places were filled by Mr. 

 J. Barningham, and Mr. Crosby Smith was appointed treasurer. 



Early in the session an important discovery was made, on the Moly- 

 neux, of a perfect specimen of a moa's egg, and at the February meeting 

 the President (Mr. F. R. Chapman) stated that Mr. Alexander Black had 

 purchased the egg, and had offered it to the Institute on very liberal 

 terms. He also said that a letter had been sent to the Council of the 

 University, stating that the Institute would undertake to make the pur- 

 chase from Mr. Black if the University Council would agree to become 

 responsible for the £45 required to complete the purchase, and to refund 

 the same within three years at the rate of £15 per annum. The Univer- 

 sity Council, having considered the matter, expressed their thanks to the 

 President of the Institute for his prompt action, and agreed to the terms 



