WESTLAND INSTITUTE. 
During the past year the Institute has added considerably to its Museum, 
and has been enabled to forward several botanical, zoological, and geolo- 
gical specimens to kindred Institutes and Societies in New Zealand and the 
neighbouring colonies. No great progress has yet been made in the way Re 
of acclimatization, beyond the introduction of a few hares and pheasants, a 
which have been placed on Mr. Harris’s run at the Kokatahi, and are pro- — 
gressing favourably. Mr. Patrick Comiskey, though not a member of the 
Institute, read an interesting paper at a meeting held on the 21st October, - 
on the subject of “‘ Water supply for the purpose of working large tracts 
of auriferous ground.” On the 22nd of June, Captain Turnbull, Chief 
Harbour Master of Westland, read a paper throwing some light on the 
question of the wreck recently discovered at the Haast, and illustrating the — 
action of the ocean currents on the west shores of New Zealand. | 
The Haast Wreck and Ocean Currents. 
In accordance with my promise to this Society, made some time ago, 
I now undertake to endeavour to show how the currents from the Eastern 
Coast of Australia have been traced to our shores, that is to the West Coast 
of the Middle Island, and more especially that portion of the Coast situated 
south of Hokitika. 
In the year 1866 a piece of wreck was found in the bush about 800 feet 
above high-water mark, on the eastern bank of the Tauperikaka River, 
about three miles south of Arnott Point. The discoverers of this piece of 
wreck reported that the vessel to which it belonged had been diagonally 
built, and fastened with screw trenails. Some portion of the wreck was 
cut off, and along with the screw trenails and metal fastenings was sent to 
Hokitika, and upon such portions being examined many suppositions were 
raised as to its identity, such as the probability of its being a portion of 
Hokitika, and a portion of them was sent to Wellington to Dr. Hector, for 
the Colonial Museum. In the meantime, I had interviewed an old whaler, 
now residing at Hokitika, named Thomas Shannon, who had been on this 
_ coast as far back as 1840-41 scaling; and from him I found that he was it 
