XX. New Zealand Institute, 
Since that date have been added the local Institutes of Otago, West- 
land, Hawke's Bay, and Southland, all of which, I am glad to learn, 
are in a flourishing condition, both as regards numbers and vitality. 
An Association at Nelson was also incorporated, but I regret to 
say that circumstances led to its ceasing to exist as a branch of the 
New Zealand Institute. I trust, however, that efforts which are now 
being made to resuscitate it will meet with deserved Success, 
The principal objects of the Institute as thus founded may be 
gathered from the list of subjects on which special information was 
desired, mentioned in the preface to the first volume of Transactions. 
They include, in short, all subjects of peculiar interest to the country, 
. whether ethnological, zoological, geological (including chemical and 
mineralogical), or botanical ; suggestions for improvements in agricul- 
not one of these subjects that has been not merely touched upon, but 
very carefully gone into; in fact, I greatly doubt whether any young 
country in the world has been so systematically investigated as New 
Zealand has been under the auspices of this Institute. I need not 
say how much of this has been due to the untiring energy of 
Dr. Hector, who has not only been the life and soul of the Society, 
but has had the laborious duty of editing the Volumes of Transactions. 
Three years ago, at the time when it was resolved to limit the 
Government expenditure in every way possible, it was contemplated 
to discontinue the annual grant of £500 for the publication of the 
Transactions; but the Board of Governors were able to give so good 
an account of the proceedings of the Institute that. on further con- 
sideration, the vote was allowed, and has since been continued. 
e Institute has moreover been useful not only as a centre for 
the operations of local societies, but also as a focus for the work of 
various kindred departments, such as the Colonial Museum, the 
Geological Survey, the Laboratory, the Botanic Garden, the Observa- 
tory, the Meteorological Department, the Department of the Inspector 
of Weights and Measures, and the Patent Office. "These would, no 
doubt, have in any case existed ; but had they been entirely separate, 
