Wellington Philosophical Society. 407 



At the close of the meeting Mr. T. Kelly, M.H.R., exhibited and explained 

 to a number of the members interested in such matters a full-sized model of 

 a new flax-dressing machine. The novelties in the construction were highly- 

 approved by those competent to judge of such matters. 



Third Meeting. \ith August, 1872. 

 Dr. Hector, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 



New members. — Adino Boughton, Lipman Levy, Charles Nichol. 



Presentations to the Society, and additions to the Museum were laid on 

 the table. Among these were specimens in a crude and prepared state of the 

 iron paint manufactured from hematite ore, lately discovered near Colling- 

 wood ; also, a specimen of soap-stone, which has been found in large quan- 

 tities in the same locality, and will be extremely valuable as a fire-stone for 

 the construction of furnaces ; and lastly a splendid sample of tobacco, grown, 

 cured, and packed by the King natives at Tokangamutu, contributed by the 

 Hon. D. McLean. 



The President then delivered the following 



ADDRESS. 



Gentlemen, — 



It is the usual custom for the President of this Society to address the 

 members at an early period during the session for which he is elected. I 

 will on the present occasion conform to the custom by selecting a few subjects 

 for comment which relate either to the past Transactions of the Listitute or to 

 collateral scientific work which has been done in the colony during the last 

 few years, and which, I think, may be reviewed with profit. 



I wish, in the first place, to allude to one section of our published Transac- 

 tions to which only very short notice has been devoted in previous addresses 

 from this chair, as some of the results are important from a practical point of 

 view. I allude to the communications on chemical subjects, which, with one 

 exception, have all been made by Mr. Skey, the Analyst to the Geological 

 Survey Department. 



I am aware that such papers are not very attractive to the general reader, 

 nor can they be expected to excite much interest or discussion at our meetings; 

 but it must be remembered that the statements advanced in chemical papers 

 are not mere opinions or theories, but describe actual experimental observa- 

 tions which are open to the test of verification by other chemists in their own 

 laboratories. 



