180 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



become impaled on it, it will rush down the cone and grip it with enormous 

 force. These cones may be taken as of all degrees of fineness or thickness. 

 When very short and thick, the corpuscle gripping it might easily, as by a 

 sudden blow, be thrown off. Owing to its extreme tension it would revolve 

 with extreme rapidity in the direction opposite to what it had when it 

 rushed down the cone. It would therefore expand with great and sudden 

 force, which is the action of an explosive. 



Art. XI. — On the neglected Forest Products of Neiv Zealand. 

 By T. Kirk, F.L.S. 

 [Read before the Auckland Institute, 25th October, 1880.] 

 Tar. Burgundy Pitch. 



Creosote. Kauri Resin. 



Oil of Tar. Turpentine. 



Pitch. Oil of Turpentine. 



Lampblack. Potash. 



Resin. Charcoal. 



Woodware. 



The value of the tar, pitch, resin, turpentine and varnish, etc. imported 

 into New Zealand dm'ing the year 1875, was declared to be £13,587, and it 

 has increased at the rate of £850 per annum, the value of the imports for 

 1879 being close upon £17,000. It is not too much to say that nearly the 

 whole of this large sum might be retained in the colony and expended in pro- 

 ducing the articles from native products, which are either entirely neglected 

 or are exported in the raw condition to be manufactured in other coun- 

 tries and returned, after incurring heavy charges for commission, outward 

 and inward freight, and (so far as varnish is concerned) an ad valorem duty 

 of 15 per cent. The object of the following paper is to draw attention to the 

 profitable outlet for labour presented by our abundant supply of raw 

 material suitable for this class of manufactures. 



Tar and pitch can be produced from material which at present is not 

 only wasted but is a constant source of danger — the tops, branches, and 

 other small timber which is usually left on the ground after falling and 

 which often leads to the destruction of the forest by fire. 



To what extent a substitute for turpentine may be furnished by our 

 native pines can only be determined by actual experiment ; there can, how- 

 ever, be no doubt but that the kauri, rimu, and kahihatea may be made to 

 yield considerable quantities. 



