688 Proceedings. 



Sir James Hector, in proposing a vote of thanks to the President for 

 his most interesting address, reminded members that within the last few 

 months they had been indebted to Mr. Tregear for a most useful addition 

 to New Zealand scientific literature in his comparative " Dictionary of 

 the Polynesian Languages." His address showed that outside mere 

 philology Mr. Tregear was able to take a wide grasp of the great problem 

 of anthropology. With the President's permission he took this oppor- 

 tunity of introducing Professor Pond, who had just arrived from Cam- 

 bridge to take the classical chair in the New Zealand University at 

 Auckland. 



Professor Pond considered it a high honour that he should, on his 

 first landing, have the opportunity of attending the meeting of such a 

 Society. He complimented Mr. Tregear on the admirable arrangement 

 of his new dictionary — the method was excellent. He was told at Cam- 

 bridge before leaving that he ought to consider it a high privilege, his 

 being selected for his n-ppointment in the New Zealand University, as the 

 examiners in England tliought most highly of the work done by the New 

 Zealand students. 



Mr. Travers seconded the vote of thanks, which was carried, and 

 spoke in flattering terms of the able manner in which Mr. Tregear treated 

 the subject of his address. 



2. Sir James Hector exhibited a young salmon which had 

 been caught in the Aparima Eiver and forwarded to him by 

 the Marine Department. He said that there could not pos- 

 sibly be any mistake with regard to the specimen being a true 

 salmon. The fact that salmon, after years of fruitless experi- 

 ments, had now been acclimatised .was highly satisfactory, 

 though he feared that the formation of our coast-line was such 

 as would prevent the return of salmon to their own rivers. 

 Should, however, the salmon prove their attachment to the 

 streams in which they were hatched, the colony would have 

 gained a most valuable asset, and one which it would be well 

 to protect with the greatest care. 



3. Sir James Hector exhibited samples of the difierent 

 coals and rocks from the coalfields lately visited. With refer- 

 ence to the Black Ball Mine, a tunnel of 1,230ft. had been 

 driven to reach the coal, and two seams had been cut of first- 

 class-quality coal, making a total of about 20ft. thick of coal. 

 Samples of the rocks from the tunnel were also described. 

 Samples of the coal from the new Cardiff and Mokihinui Com- 

 pany's lease were exhibited, and also samples from the Kai- 

 tangata Mine, Otago ; and a number of fossils found in sinking 

 the Castle Hill Company's shaft at Kaitangata were also on 

 the table and described. Samples of coal from Orepuki were 

 shown, together with a series of fossils from the Middle Wai- 

 para, in the northern district of Canterbury. These latter 

 were described as being geologically of very great importance, 

 on account of the presence of Bclcmnites australis in association 

 with dicotyledonous leaves, aiid in the same boulders remains 

 of Lciodon haumuriensis , this being the first time that these 

 Secondary fossils have been found in the Canterbury District. 



