Wellington Philosophical Society. 543 



into consideration the work previously done by the authors. 2. That, 

 in connection with the intended purchase of books, members be invited 

 to send in to the Secretary lists of books they think should be ordered, the 

 Council to make use of such lists in their selection. 



Sir James Hector, in moving a vote of thanks to the retiring Presi- 

 dent (Sir Walter Buller), said that the best thanks of the Society were 

 due to Sir Walter for the assiduity, zeal, and punctuality with which he 

 had attended to the affairs of the Society during the past year. At all 

 times ready to assist with his special knowledge and experience, he had 

 shown the keenest interest in the welfare of the Society. Of late he had 

 attended and presided over the meetings at much personal inconvenience, 

 because he was busy with his arrangements for a visit to England, where, 

 he felt sure, Sir Walter Buller's strong character and energy would be of 

 great value to the colony, because he was now going Home to take part 

 in a work of vast importance to all the colonies of the Empire — to assist 

 in founding and elaborating the Imperial Institute. 



In responding to the hearty vote of thanks which was accorded by 

 the meeting, Sir Walter Buller said that, although he was removing him- 

 self for a time to the other side of the world, he hoped to keep himself 

 in close touch with the colony, and in correspondence with the more 

 active members of the Society over which he had enjoyed the privilege 

 of presiding. 



Election of Office-beakers for 1893. — President — 

 Major-General Schaw, C.B., E.E. ; Vice-presidents — G. V. 

 Hudson, F.E.S., and S. Percy Smith, F.E.G.S.; Council— 

 C. Hulke, F.C.S., W. M. Maskell, Sir J. Hector, K.C.M.G., 

 F.E.S., E. Tregear, F.E.G.S., G. Denton, E. C. Harding, and 

 W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S. ; Secretary and Treasurer — E. B. 

 Gore ; Auditor — T. King. 



Papers. — 1. "Notes regarding the Icebergs seen at the 

 Chatham Islands on the 28th October, 1892," by Mr. A. 

 Shand. {Transactions, p. 516.) 



Sir James Hector said that the stranding of icebergs on the Chatham 

 Islands suggested very unusual meteorological conditions in antarctic 

 regions. With a diagram he explained the usual limits of the drift ice, 

 and how it occasionally was carried far north of the same latitude as the 

 Chathams, but only east of the Cape of Good Hope and east of Cape Horn. 

 Australia and New Zealand, with its outlying islands, formed a third pro- 

 montory — although a submerged one— extending towards the antarctic 

 ice-cap ; but the sea to the eastward of this was very free from ice, and, 

 indeed, the greatest extension of open sea towards the South Pole was in 

 the longitude of New Zealand. Prom Mr. Shand's description, the Chat- 

 ham Island bergs appear to have quite lost the table-topped form 

 characteristic of Southern Sea bergs. They had probably floated for a 

 long distance in temperate water, and had been several times overturned, 

 and from their altitude they must have been submerged about 500 

 fathoms. Only deep currents, therefore, could have controlled their 

 movements. The winds would exercise but little effect on them. 

 They followed in a regular procession from E.S.E. This is contrary to 

 the usual direction of currents, and suggested that these must have been 

 altered by the shifting of the anticyclonic or high-pressure area of the 

 South Pacific to an unusually high latitude, just as occurred when 

 Captain Fairchild reported that the barometer read 30'S during the time 

 he was cruising off Antipodes Island. The effect of such a shift would be 

 to establish easterly winds and currents where westerlies commonly pre- 

 vailed, so that if, as had been reported, floating ice had been seen unusually 



