736 Proceedings. 



at Washington. He spoke most highly of the services reuilereil to all 

 countries by the late professor, and of his readiness to impart any infor- 

 mation to those who asked for it. He believed Mr. Maskell had a 

 resolution to propose on the subject. 



Mr. Maskell, in proposing the resolution, gave a short account of the 

 valuable work done by Professor Riley generally, and particularly referred 

 to the services he had rendered to this colouy. Professor Riley was an 

 honorary member of tlie New Zealand Institute, and therefore, he might 

 say, a member of this Society. He felt sure that all would regret the loss 

 of so able a man. 



Hcsolution. — 1. That the Wellington Philosophical Society records its 

 very high appreciation of the services rendered by the late Professor C. V. 

 Riley to commerce and industry in all countries by his labours in economic 

 entomology, and its deep regret at the j:;reat loss which the world has sus- 

 tained by his sudden death. 2. That the President be requested to ask the 

 Consul for the United States in New Zealand to forward the foregoing 

 resolution to the family of the late Professor Riley, and also to the Agri- 

 cultural Department at Washington. 



This was seconded by Mr. Travers, who spoke very highly of the late 

 Professor Riley, and carried. 



Paper. — "Note on the Geology of the Outlj'ing Ishmds of 

 New Zealand," by Sir James Hector. A large collection of 

 spechnens and photographs, with maps, &c., were exhibited to 

 illustrate the paper. 



Absthact. 



The lecturer gave the results of observations made during a visit to 

 the islands, as a guest of His Excellency Lord Glasgow, from the 29th 

 January to the 25th February, 1895. The distance steamed in the 

 " Hinemoa " was 2,600 miles, and, with the exception of the visit to the 

 Macquaries and the landing at the Bounty Islands, the programme was 

 fairly well accomplished, notwithstanding that unusually boisterous 

 weather was encountered for the season of the year. The lecturer's 

 researches on the botanical features, bird life, and general topography of 

 the islands having been already fully described,* only those parts relating 

 to the geology of the islands need be recorded. 



1. The Snares. — These islands form two groups about five miles 

 apart. They, on all sides, present precipitous cliffs to the sea, rising 

 from 75 to 90 fathoms depth of water, without shingle or sandy beaches, 

 there being only a few indentations of the coast-line where landing 

 from a boat is possible. Only at one of these, the Boat Harbour, was 

 the nature of the rock- formation actually observed. It is a very singular 

 form of red granite (?), the only rock in New Zealand to which it bears 

 resemblance being the red granite at the entrance to Chalky Inlet ; but it 

 differs in being less compactly crystalline, the quartz being granular, and 

 the mica, though in large crystals, being in small proportions. The rock- 

 masses decompose freely, having large naked domes on the surface, be- 

 tween which are profound hollows filled up to the level with peaty matter 

 and bird-guano to a great depth, as proved by the excavations made for a 

 lighthouse-site some years ago. The cliffs rise 300ft. to 500ft. vertical 

 from the sea, and are especially bold on the west coast, where they 

 display a stratified and columnar structure, which suggests a doubt as to 

 the granite nature of the island as a whole. 



2. Auckland Island is clearly connected with the Snares by a ridge 

 or plateau, the soundings ranging from 86 to 190 fathoms only. So 



* Chapman, F., " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute," vol. xxiii.,p.491 ; 

 and Kirk, T., F.L.S., in the Keport of the Australasian Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, vol. iii., p. 213. 



