Wellington PJiilosopliical Society. 727 



transit of Voiius obtained support because one main object of them was to 

 determine with greater accuracy the sun's distance from the earth, and 

 this was easily recognised as a basic fact in astronomy. Moreover, when 

 a new fact of widespread significance to science was discovered it was 

 difficult to be sure that practical benefit might not rapidly ensue. 



The President said that such an expedition would be of the very 

 greatest importance and benefit. There are many questions of great 

 interest awaiting the results of such an expedition. He mentioned the 

 great abundance of cetacean life that would be met with : surely there 

 must be some opening for commerce in this direction. 



General Schaw, in reply, said, no doubt those in command of such an 

 expedition would be selected from the older countries, and not from the 

 colonies. Unfortunately, the whales met with in these parts were not 

 the most valuable whales. He considered that the motion of the ice was 

 caused by currents and not by winds — there were strong polar currents. 

 A slight shifting of the pole would have a great effect. 



2. "The Ultimate Problem of Philosophy," by W. W. 

 Carlile, M.A. {Transactions, p. Ti.) 



Sir James Hector complimented the author for his interesting paper. 

 It was difficult to discuss a subject of this kind without having carefully 

 read the paper. There were one or two things in the paper that he could 

 not agree with; but time would not permit of their being gone into. He 

 supposed it was Mr. Carlile's parting shot at evolution (as Mr. Carlile is 

 leaving the colony shortly). 



Mr. Tregear said that he considered the reading and discussion of 

 such papers perfectly futile, and that they would in no way disturb the 

 position of the evolutionists. 



Mr. Harding thought the paper a good one, and he agreed generally 

 with Mr. Carlile ; but there was nothing very new brought forward in this 

 paper. 



Mr. Hudson thought Mr. Carlile's allusions as to the origin of the 

 sense of beauty in animals vifas a strong point in his paper. Although 

 fully believing in Darwin's theory of sexual selection, he thought that 

 that theory implied a sense of beauty in female animals that it was diffi- 

 cult to account for. 



General Schaw said the line of argument adopted by the lecturer was 

 somewhat difficult to follow, and required time for consideration ; but he 

 could well believe that it might convince some minds which were dis- 

 satisfied witli the argument from design. The latter line of argument 

 was, he thouglit, more generally useful, and, although for a time dis- 

 credited, it was now reasserting itself strongly, and had been used most 

 powerfully by Sir George Stokes in some of his recent lectures. 



The President said that, although he might not agree with Mr. 

 Carlile on many points, yet he considered the paper most lucid, and very 

 interesting. 



Mr. Carlile, in reply, said, with reference to Sir James Hector's 

 description of his paper as " a parting shot at evolution," he must draw 

 attention to the fact that he had treated evolution as an established 

 doctrine. What he thought was altogether fallacious was what was 

 called agnosticism — the notion that the world could be regarded as a 

 watch, but without any maker. He felt sure that in twenty years' time 

 it would be thought incredible that any one should ever have entertained 

 such a conception of the universe. 



3. "On CordiceiJs robertsii," by H. C. Field. {Trans- 

 actions, p. 623.) 



