Wellington Philosophical Society. 725 



Third Meeting : Slst July, 189-5. 



Mr. T. Kirk, F.L.S., President, in the chair. 



The President : Before entering on the formal business of the meeting 

 I wish to draw your attention to a subject in connection with whicli the 

 various societies affiliated with the New Zealand Institute appear to have 

 been slightly remiss, if I may venture to say so. A recent mail brought 

 news of the death of Dr. David Lyall, Il.N.,at Cheltenham, in his seventy- 

 eighth year. Many present will be familiar with his name as the medical 

 officer in charge of the botanical collections on board the "Terror," one 

 of the ships of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1839-43. I have no 

 intention of giving a full account of his work, as that is being done by 

 Sir Joseph Hooker, with whom he was so closely associated in botanical 

 explorations on the Auckland and Campbell Islands, the Bay of Islands, 

 Falkland Islands, ]\Iagellan Straits, Kerguelen Land, &c. ; but I may 

 remind you that when, in 1847, Admiral Stokes commissioned the 

 " Acheron " for survey work on the west coast of the South Island, Dr. 

 Lyall was appointed medical officer, and for three years lost no oppor- 

 tunity of engaging in botanical exploration in the South Island and in 

 Stewart Island ; and it was not until Sir .James Hector's adventurous 

 exploration of the western portion of Otago that any additions were 

 made to the mass of information collected by Dr. Lyall with regard to the 

 phytology of that district. Full testimony to the value of Dr. Lyall's 

 work is borne by Sir Joseph Hooker throughout the " Handbook of the 

 New Zealand Flora." To my mind, the additions made by him to the 

 cryptogamic flora of Dusky Bay show his keen power of observation to 

 great advantage, following as he did such excellent collectors as Forster, 

 attached to Cook's second expedition, and Menzies, who accompanied 

 Vancouver's expedition. It must also be remembered that he had high 

 merit as a naturalist. The first account of the kakapo that reached 

 Europe was contained in a paper prepared by him, which was read before 

 the Zoological Society in 1852, and attracted great attention. Now, the 

 point I wish to make is this: that, after having rendered such great 

 service in the elaboration of the New Zealand flora, his name has not 

 been placed on the roll of honorary members of the New Zealand Insti- 

 tute. L'nquestiouably this is simply an oversight, but one much to be 

 regretted. We have been remiss alike in the discharge of duty and in 

 the exercise of privilege ; and I venture to suggest that, when the mem- 

 bers are next called upon to nominate individuals for honorary member- 

 .ship, those who have rendered direct service to the scientific workers of 

 the colony in past years should have preference over those whose claims, 

 however worthy, are of a more general character. As one of the oldest 

 members, and for some years a governor of the Institute, I confess 

 myself blameworthy in not having drawn attention to this point at an 

 earlier date. 



Sir James Hector quite agreed with what Mr. Kirk said regarding the 

 late Dr. Lyall, who was an old personal friend, with whom he had ex- 

 plored in Vancouver Island thirty-five years ago, and he felt sure that had 

 his name been submitted he would have been elected an honorary mem- 

 ber. It was a most unfortunate oversight, for no one could have been 

 more worthy the honour than the late Dr. Lyall. 



Papers. — 1. " On Antarctic Research," by Major-General 

 Schaw, C.B., R.E. (Transactions, p. 62.) 



Sir James Hector thanked General Schaw for having undertaken 

 and so well performed the duty of making an abstract of these important 

 papers. He hoped that the efforts of the promoters of antarctic research 

 would be more successful this time than previously. It was a blot on 



