AUCKLAND INSTITUTE. 



First Meeting. 4th May, 1874. 



T. Heale in the chair. 



New members. — J. Adams. B.A., Rev. J. Bates, E. B. Dickson, B.A., 

 S. J. Lambert, F.R.A.S., Rev. C. M. Nelson, M.A., Rev. G. Smales. 



The secretary read the list of donations to the library and museum. 

 The chairman delivered the following anniversary 



ADDRESS. 



The unavoidable absence of our highly-honoured President, which must be 

 a subject of regret to us all, is specially so to me, upon whom has devolved 

 the task of opening this year's session at a notice far too short to enable 

 me to prepare an address worthy of the occasion. Besides, it has always 

 been a favourite view of mine, which I have repeatedly propounded from this 

 chair, that our great object should be not to be only natural history collectors, 

 but that our Institute ought to be a centre where men can meet to exchange 

 their thoughts on every scientific subject, and that we should use every 

 endeavour to make our meetings interesting and popular. Nothing could be 

 more conducive to success in this object than to meet under the presidency of 

 a gentleman of the professional and social standing of him who has kindly 

 undertaken the duty this year — one whose large mental accomplishments are 

 rendered more effective by a happy command of classical and expressive 

 language, and are adorned by a flowing courtesy doubly graceful in the 



position he occupies. 



Our programme is so extensive that there is more than room for workers 

 of every class amongst us ; for the man of general reading, as well as for the 

 botanist or geologist. The laborious collectors, carefully investigating and 

 recording facts, must always hold the first place of honour with us, for their 

 work is useful, not only to us, but to the whole world of science ; but plenty 

 of scope remains for those who have no special study. In a colony like this 

 there can be little room or opportunity for the master workman, capable, by a 

 life of study, of combining into the grander generalizations of science the 

 innumerable facts now streaming in from keen-eyed observers in all parts of 

 the world. Such investigators are all but impossible, except at or near the 

 great centres of population and in the midst of the highest appliances. No 



R2 



