March. 1897. SCIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND. 193 



spend much money in the purchase of costly books. Most learned 

 societies keep up their libraries very largely by means of the exchange 

 of their own publications for those of similar institutions throughout 

 the world. In this colony all the advantages of such a system of 

 exchange are confined to Wellington, the headquarters of the Institute, 

 and the local societies outside Wellington profit nothing thereby. It 

 is true that a rule provides for the admission of the public to the use 

 of the Museum and Library, subject to bye-laws to be framed by the 

 Board, but this privilege can be of little value to any but residents in 

 Wellington. The difficulty might, perhaps, be to a certain extent 

 obviated by printing and circulating a catalogue of the Library, and 

 making arrangements whereby members of the affiliated societies 

 could have books posted to them." 



" If the support given to the local branches of the Institute can 

 be regarded as any indication of the degree of culture in the different 

 centres of population in New Zealand, we may arrive at some 

 interesting results from a comparison of the lists of membership. 

 Thus we find Auckland first with 172 members, Wellington 144, 

 Otago 94, Hawke's Bay 80, Canterbury 70, Westland 62, and Nelson 

 24, a result which certainly would not be expected by any person 

 conversant with the higher educational institutions in these centres, 

 and especially with the working of the University Colleges. The 

 degree of popularity and success of the University Colleges appears to 

 have no relation whatever to the prosperity (as judged by member- 

 ship) of the local branch of the Institute. If, however, we make the 

 comparison in a different manner, by observing the amount of original 

 research emanating from each branch, I think the University centres 

 may fairly claim to have done their share." 



The most galling thought to an enthusiast like Professor Dendy 

 is that, while he and his colleagues reside in an almost unique country 

 for opportunities of scientific research, they are " almost forced to 

 neglect them for want of encouragement." Meanwhile, "scientific 

 men from Europe and America, often assisted by a grant from some 

 learned society, hail with enthusiasm every chance of visiting the 

 Australasian colonies, where they remain for a few months collecting, 

 and then return home laden with spoil to work out their results at 

 leisure and under the most favourable conditions." At the same time, 

 even Professor Dendy himself admits that circumstances are im- 

 proving. The Canterbury College, for instance, has lately exhibited 

 noteworthy progress, and the Canterbury Museum is now one of the 

 finest institutions of its kind in Australasia. Nor must we forget 

 Dunedin, which has done so much for the progress of natural science 

 in recent years. We have Professor Dendy's "man in the street " 

 in this country, and no inconsiderable development of that relic of 

 barbarism. Let us hope that culture in other quarters may soon as 

 completely overpower him in the remotest colonies of Australasia as 



it has done in the older centres of civilisation. 



p 



