Wellington Philosophical Society. 375 



Hamilton joined the Society thirty-eight years ago, and three years later contributed 

 his first paper, dealing with the botany of the Okarito District of Westland. Since 

 that date he contributed a very large, number of papers to the " Transactions of the 

 New Zealand Institute." Mr. Hamilton's sympathies were very wide. He was inte- 

 rested in coins, stamps, minerals, plants, insects, shells, fish, birds, Native races, and in 

 all matters relating to art. This combination of interests, together with his untiring 

 energy, made him an ideal Curator for our Dominion Museum, and all must regret 

 that his ideal of a Dominion Museum building worthy of the collection, which owed so 

 much to his efforts, has remained unrealized. 



On the motion of the President, seconded by Dr. C. Monro Hector, the following 

 resolution was passed : " The Council of the Wellington Philosophical Society expresses 

 its deep regret at the death of Mr. A. Hamilton, a former President of the Society, and 

 an honorary life member. Mr. Hamilton's great ability and energy, his wide sympathies 

 and catholic tastes, placed him amongst our public men. His services to art and science 

 are evidenced by the large quantity and sterling quality of his published work. On 

 behalf of the Wellington Philosophical Society, the members of the Council desire to 

 express their sense of the great loss which the Society and New Zealand culture have 

 sustained, and to express to the relatives of Mr. Hamilton their sincerest sympathy." 



New Members.— My. T. 0. Fox, Mr. J. D. Holmes, Mr. E. W. Hurst- 

 house, Mr. L. Moore, Mr. R. E. Robertson, Mr. F. E. Widdop, Mr. H. J. 

 Wynne, Mr. H. J. H. Blow, Mr. E. A. Shrimpton, and Mr. G. Stewardson. 



Annual Reports. — The annual report and balance-sheet were read and 

 adopted . 



The annual reports of the Astronomical, Technological, and Geological 

 Sections were also read and adopted. 



Mr. G. V. Hudson, speaking to the annual report, regretted the almost complete 

 disappearance of original papers on New Zealand natural history, and objected to the 

 formation of sections of the Society, as tending to reduce the interest of the ordinary 

 meetings. 



Election of Officers for 1914. — President — Dr. C. Monro Hector, M.D., 

 B.Sc. ; Vice-President — Mr. Thomas King, F.R.A.S. ; Council— -Dr. J. Allan 

 Thomson, D.Sc, Professor T. H. Easterfield, M.A., Ph.D., Mr. G. Hogben, 

 M.A., Mr. R. W. Holmes, M.Inst. C.E., Mr. B. C. Aston, F.C.S., F.I.C., Mr. E . 

 Parry, B.Sc, M.I.E.E.; Auditor— Mr. E. R. Dymock, A.I.A. 



Papers. — 1 . " Notes on Phosphorous and Phosphoric Acids," by Mr. 

 J. G. Fulton. 



2. " The Unfit : an Educational Problem," by Miss P. Myers, B.A. 

 Both papers gave rise to interesting discussions, in which Dr. Thomson, Professor 



Easterfield, and Mr. G. Hogben took part. 



3. " Notes on a Tide-predicting Machine," by Mr. C. E. Adams. 



4. " Harmonic Tidal Constants of New Zealand Ports — Dunedin and 

 Port Chalmers," by Mr. C. E. Adams. 



5. " Plant-habitats Hitherto Unrecorded," by Mr. B. C. Aston. 



6. " Botanical Notes on an Ascent of the Ruahine Mountains at Maka- 

 retu," by Mr. B. C. Aston. 



7. " List of Plants and Brief Ecological Remarks on certain Little- 

 known Localities," by Mr. B. C. Aston. 



8. " The Interpretation of Milk Records," by Mr. B. C. Aston. 



9. " Potassium in Agricultural Samples," by Mr. B. C. Aston. 



10. "Notes on the Phanerogamic Flora of the Ruahine Mountain- 

 chain," by Mr. B. C. Aston. 



11. "Unconformities in the Stratified Rocks of the West Coast of the 

 South Island," by Mr. P. G. Morgan. 



