Anniversary Address. xxiii. 
Time will not allow me to make more than a passing mention of 
the papers of Mr. Samuel Locke and Mr. Barstow concerning the 
Native race and the history of the earliest European settlers in this 
colony; of Dr. Newman’s paper respecting the healthiness of New 
Zealand; or of many other contributions. I will only add that I 
cannot look through the compressed report of the local Societies with- 
out a feeling of regret that I have no opportunity of reading at greater 
length several of the interesting papers, of which only an abstract can 
be given. 
The honorary members who have been added to the roll of the 
Institute during the last year are: Professor W. B. Carpenter, the 
eminent physiologist, who has done great service to New Zealand by 
assisting in the organization of the University ; Sir Wm. Thompson, 
from whose researches in physics and especially in electricity, this 
colony, in common with other countries, is deriving daily benefit ; 
and Professor Ellery, the well-known astronomer at the Melbourne 
Observatory, whose work in the preparation of star catalogues is of 
great benefit in all survey operations in these latitudes. 
SCIENCE. 
The past year has been one of exceptional activity in the world of 
science. Astronomers in all quarters of the globe have been watching 
with keen interest the movements of the magnificent comet which 
was visible last spring; two months ago we had the opportunity of 
seeing one of the most beautiful of astronomical phenomena—a total 
eclipse of the sun; and in December last scientific parties were de- 
spatched by almost every European. nation to take careful observations 
of the transit of Venus. 
COMET. 
In the recent volume of Transactions there is a valuable paper on 
the constitution of comets, which was read before the Southland 
Institute last: October by Mr. Fairclough. There and elsewhere 
you will find it stated that, according to Kepler, comets are asi” 
numerous as fishes in the sea. But, however that may be, there is 
no doubt that they may be numbered by hundreds of thousands, and 
that they are indeed the most numerous family of bodies in the 
universe. The movements of some hundreds only, however, have 
been studied, and of these only a few by the aid of modern appliances. 
They all describe a course round the sun ; but, whilst some revolve in 
orbits occupying only a comparatively short period, which can be 
calculated with precision— as, for instance, Encke’s Comet and 
Halley’s Comet, which accomplish their revolutions in about three 
