422 Proceedings. 



Mr. Richardson said aboub five years ago some articles appeared in 

 the Neiv Zealand Times on this subject, he thought written by Mr. E. 

 Best. 



Mr. Harding said there were interesting articles on this subject in 

 Chapman's Magazine about 1860, and also by the late Major Heaphy on 

 the greenstone country, which would be worth reprinting. 



The President said it would be a good thing if all such information 

 could be collected and published in the Transactions. 



Mr. Hustwick said he met a man in the Taupo district named Pruin 

 who had a splendid collection of Maori relics; it would be worth while 

 getting a description of them. 



3. " On Pliocene Fossil Shells from Wanganui," by E. Mur- 

 doch. {Transactions, p. 216.) 



Sir James Hector said this was a carefully prepared paper, and the 

 drawings were very good. He thought, however, some of the specimens 

 had already been described. 



Sir James Hector gave a description of the new earth- 

 quake-recorder, which he had set up temporarily in the hall. 



He also gave a general description of earthquakes and their supposed 

 origin. 



Mr. Hogben added some very interesting information regarding this 

 instrument, which had been brought to such perfection by ]Mr. John 

 Milne. He thought we were to ba congratulated on having such an 

 instrument in the colony. We should not, however, forget that it wns 

 Dr. E. von Rebeur-Pasehwitz who first invented the horizontal pendulum 

 for the recording of earth-shocks. 



The President said we had to thank Sir James Hector and Mr. Hog- 

 ben for the interesting and instructive explanation they had given of the 

 working of the seismometer. 



Sir James Hector exhibited specimens of fish, ducks, and 

 sponges. 



Fourth Meeting : 12th December, 1899. 



Mr. E. Tregear, President, in the chair. 



Paper. — "On the Volcanoes of the Pacific: No. II.," by 



Coleman Phillips. {Transactions, p. 188.) 



Sir James Hector adversely criticized the theories advanced by 

 Mr. Phillips, who, he said, seemed to mix up geological time and human 

 time. He pointed out that the bursting-up of a volcanic island was no 

 proof of general upheaval. Indeed, on the contrary, to most geologists it 

 was proof of subsidence. He further pointed out that volcanic islands 

 were built up, not thrust up. There were a great number of atolls in the 

 Pacific that clearly and distinctly proved, as Darwin had pointed out, 

 that there had been a continuous subsidence of the land on which the 

 coral had its foundation. There were other places where the coral bad 

 risen. True, the volcanic inlands were formed by accretions till they 

 rose to such an extent that coral could grow on them ; but such islands 

 were only pustules, rising from the bottom of the sea, and they were very 

 insignificant in comparison with the large area in which they were 

 evolved. What they wanted in this matter was not theorising, but the 



