480 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



in reference to the fact that I had once been a Law Lecturer 

 at the University where he was Professor of Mineralogy. I 

 found many sHghfc mistranslations and misunderstandings ; and 

 when I subuiitted the whole thing to my friend Mr. Helms, of 

 Greymouth (now, I think, of the Geological Survey of New 

 South Wales), he pointed out several more. Again, I found 

 that, with all the care which I and those who answered 

 my questions had used, some of the Maori names had gone 

 wrong. 



I have lately determined to republish the results of my 

 inquiries in English, for the above and several other reasons. 

 In the first place, Professor Fischer's paper seems to have 

 come out before he received the last instalment of matter- 

 namely, a set of answers by the late Mr. John White, our 

 leading popular Maori scholar, and those of Dr. Shortland, 

 our most learned and philosophical writer on Maori matters. 

 Now Mr. White has died, leaving his magmmi opus the 

 " Ancient History of the Maori " incomplete, and I have reason 

 to think that the paper he sent me embodies some of the matter 

 of the History, which may otherwise never see light. Another 

 reason for going into print is this : I am told that Professor 

 Fischer's paper has been reproduced with additional information 

 in an American scientific publication — I do not know which. 

 Now, as a rule, whatever the Americans do they do well, and 

 the additional information ought to be published in New Zea- 

 land ; but I have too appreciative a recollection of Washington 

 Irving's story of the Art of Book-making to allow me to care to 

 contemplate my ill-considered, roughly-written private notes 

 to Professor Ulrich first Germanised by Professor Fischer, 

 and then Enghshed by some one else. The author of the 

 paper I have heard of will not, I am "sure, object to a revised 

 version. The questions are included in this paper, and are 

 followed by the correspondence ansv,'ering them; to which I 

 have ventured to add some notes and criticisms of my own, by 

 way of clearing up certain matters inadequately expressed, 

 and certain apparent contradictions. I hope my correspond- 

 ents will accept these notes in the spirit in which they are 

 offered. Having now been nineteen years in the field as a 

 collector and observer, I have a fair claim to be allowed a part 

 in the discussion. 



In the title of this paper the word " greenstone " occurs, 

 and this word is used throughout the text. I am quite 

 conscious that the term is not geologically or mineralogically 

 correct ; but the stone of which I am writing is known by that 

 name throughout New Zealand, and, though here' as elsewhere 

 the scientific man employs that word to describe a totally 

 different class of rock, I should run the risk of being mis- 

 understood were I to use any other word for what is under 



