492 ■ Proceedings. 



organic substances, but this need not be confinecT to the palaeozoic rocks. 

 A popular impression exists that the only rocks in our geological scale 

 which contain carbonaceous remains are those of the carboniferous age ; 

 but Professor Peckham thinks it is very probable that carburetted- 

 hydrogen gas and petroleum are derived from microscopic animals. 

 When examining the oil-bearing strata in the Poverty Bay district lately, 

 the question that occurred to him was whether the porous sands which 

 contain the gas and oil were sufficiently thick to form reservoirs. There 

 is no doubt as to the porosity of the seams on examining the strata 

 in the gorge of the Waipaoa River : there are alternate bands of very 

 porous sandstone, full of fissures and cracks, lying in almost a horizontal 

 position among the calcareous marl. If thick porous beds of sandstone 

 or limestone occur lying in the same manner where the oil is found they 

 would form a large reservoir for the oil ; therefore, before we can deter- 

 mine whether there is likely to be a good supply of oil obtained at the 

 place where the present operations are carried on by the South Pacific 

 Company, far more information is required to form data from which to 

 give an opinion on the subject. He then read an extract from a paper 

 read by Charles A. Ashburner before the American Institute of Mining 

 Engineers : " In all geological ages prior to the carboniferous there did 

 not exist sufficient land-vegetation to form extensive coal-beds ; but the 

 fossil remains of water-plants amply attest the fact that there was buried 

 in the rocks below the carboniferous a great abundance of vegetable 

 forms. Even in the Laurentian rocks of Canada, far below where I 

 believe it is possible to find natural gas, there is a large accumulation of 

 carbonaceous material in the form of graphite, which is now universally 

 conceded to have been derived from the remains of vegetation. These 

 plants belonged to the lower forms of vegetable life, as the animal remains 

 of which many of our limestones are composed belonged to the lower forms 

 of animal life. The latter are no doubt the source of the large amount 

 of both oil and gas derived from the limestone beds. According to re- 

 searches made by Professor Peckham in Southern California, the petroleum 

 and gas there are very probably derived from microscopic animals." 



In reply to INIr. McKay's questions, Mr. Park said that the gas-spring 

 at Blairlogie occurred in the cretaceous rocks. As to the gas-spring at the 

 Pahaoa River, the gas was sulphuretted hydrogen, which was inflammable, 

 but no indication of oil. As to the average width of the oil-belt, he said 

 that, although over twenty miles in some places, it was only a few chains 

 at others. Five miles was a fair average. Mr. Park thanked Mr. Paterson 

 for his valuable information regarding the shale industry in Scotland. 

 He believed the shales of New Zealand would in time be turned to pro- 

 fitable account. In replj- to I\Ir. Gordon, he said that petroleum occurred 

 in rocks of all ages, from the silurian epoch up to the present time. The 

 origin of the oil was not so important as the discovery of the strata which 

 yielded it. 



2. " On a Curious Feature in a Marsh Plant {Glossostigma) ," 

 by C. W. Lee. {Transactions, p. 108.) 



3. " On the Production of Artificial Chromes for Orna- 

 mental Purposes," by W. Skey. {Transactions, p. 359.) 



Fifth Meeting : 12th September, 1888. 



W. M. Maskell, F.E.M.S., President, in the chair. 



Papers. — 1. " The Late Earthquake (1st September, 1888), 

 and its Bearing on the Architecture of Wellington," by W. M. 

 Maskell, F.E.M.S. 



