NELSON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



Preliminary Meeting. 25th August, 1883. 

 The Bishop of Nelson in the chair. 



Twenty-two gentlemen attended. 



Eesolutions were passed, affirming the desirability of forming an association to be 

 called the " Nelson Philosophical Society," to be affiliated to the New Zealand Institute, 

 and fixing the subscription, time of meeting, and office-bearers. 



A Provisional Committee was appointed to draw up rules. 



General Meeting. 22nd September, 1883. 

 The Bishop of Nelson in the chair. 



The Bules, as drawn up by the Provisional Committee, were read and passed with 

 alterations. 



Election of Officers for 1883-84 : — President — The Bishop of Nelson ; 

 Vice -presidents — Dr. L. Boor, A. S. Atkinson ; Secretary — Dr. J. Hudson ; 

 Treasurer — J. Hollo-way ; Council — The Hon. J. C. Bichmond, J. Meeson, 

 M. Fearnley, J. Park, Col. Walcott. 



Ordinary Meeting. 1st October, 1883. 



The Bishop of Nelson, President, in the chair. 



The following Inaugural Address was then read by the President :— 



ABSTRACT. 



The President, after some introductory remarks, proceeded to discuss the position of 

 the Society and the reasons for its establishment : " First of all there is the fulfilment of 

 a duty towards promoting the accumulation of knowledge in the community. There are 

 Commissions and Boards to look after primary education ; others to look after the 

 preservation of the peace and the maintenance of law and order ; the interests of religion, 

 too, have each of them their guardians, while the progress of culture in the departments 

 of science, art, and literature ought to have those whose duty it is to watch, and to watch 

 with intention to help, the spread of such culture in the midst of us, and not merely to 

 accumulate facts (which is not culture), but the reduction of such facts into influence on 

 character, which is culture. 



" Further, the observation and registration of phenomena, which would otherwise pass 

 unnoticed, is a duty which is now left undone in this place. Formerly, the Government 

 had meteorological observations taken here, and rightly so too, for Nelson is exceptional 

 in many points of view, and its merits and attractions lie in that exceptional position, 

 and should be honestly and graphically, but not ostentatiously, set forth. 



" It is said we are too ambitious in setting up a Society of this kind here, where there 

 are few experts in any one branch of science : we can only answer, we see no unworthy 

 ambition in giving out publicly that we are seeking knowledge ; a.nd it would seem 



