Auckland Institute. 429 
The President said that, from his own experience as a coal consumer— | 
perhaps one of the largest in Auckland—he was satisfied that the Bay coal 
was far superior to Newcastle for steam purposes. The principal objection 
to its use for domestic purposes was in its friable nature ; but this had been 
made too much of. He would like to see the Whareora coal—so highly 
recommended by Mr. Tunny—introduced in quantity into the Auckland 
market. 
2. “ Analyses of a few of the Auckland Fire Clays,” by J. A. Pond. 
(See Transactions, page 348.) 
Samples of the clays mentioned in this paper, together with several 
articles manufactured from them, were exhibited to the meeting. 
8. ‘‘ Descriptions of a new species of Hymenophyllum,” by T. F, Cheese- 
man, F.L.8. (See Transactions, page 330.) 
Mr. Goodall called the attention of the meeting to the practice of slaking 
lime with salt water, now becoming very prevalent in Auckland. It was 
hardly necessary for him to state that, so long as this custom was in force, 
dry walls could not be expected in any buildings, however carefully other 
points were attended to. 
Mr. Heale said that it was usual to attribute the efflorescence, so com- 
monly seen on plastered walls in Auckland during damp weather, either to 
the use of shell-lime, in which a small proportion of salt might naturally 
be expected to occur, or to the sea-sand used in the preparation of the 
mortar. He could not but think that the proportion of salt in shell-lime 
would be very minute; and sea sand, even if taken wet from the beach, 
could not contain more than five per cent. of sea water. On the other 
hand, lime, during the process of slaking, would take up fully twenty-five 
per cent. of sea water, and in this way a very considerable quantity of salt 
would be introduced into the mortar; so large, in fact, that he should not 
have supposed that lime-burners would have had resort to a practice so 
obviously injurious to the quality of the lime if he had not himself seen 
salt water used. 
Sixta Meetine. 6th December, 1875. 
J. C. Firth, President, in the chair. 
New Members.—W. Carder, A. Howden, G. Kitchen, R. Walker. 
PAPERS. 
1. Notes on the discovery of Moa and Moa-hunters’ remains near 
Whangarei,” by G. Thorne, jun. (See Transactions, page 83.) 
Mr. Firth asked if the human remains found were contemporaneous 
With those of the Moa. 
Mr. Thorne exhibited some charred human bones that he considered to 
be certainly of the same age. With respect to the other human remains, 
