AUCKLAND INSTITUTE. 



PiEST Meeting- (held in the Provincial Museum). 4^7i Hay, 1868. 

 !P. "Whitalcer, President, in the chair. 



The following contributions were laid upon the table : — A series of 

 photographs of the Atlantic cable machinery — Mr. J. T. Mackelvie, A 

 number of South Sea Island shells — Mr. Vilcocq, of Eussell. Part of a por- 

 poise's head — Mr. Mackenzie, of Mongonui. Maori stone axes — Mr. Bell, of 

 Whangaroa ; also, by the same gentleman, a piece of the copper of the ship 

 'Boyd," the crew of which were massacred and eaten there; a piece of 

 manganese ore from Tikiora, Bay of Islands ; quartz rock from near Spirits 

 Bay. There was also a specimen of clay which had been burned by a 

 gentleman at the Tamaki, and which was believed to be a near approach to 

 china clay. 



Mr. Grillies, the Honorary Secretary, read a note that had been left at 

 the Museum, stating that a number of miners from the Thames had visited 

 the collection, and had been much interested and gratified at examining the 

 minerals there. Mr. Grillies stated that the Council of the Association, 

 immediately upon being formed, wrote to England for various scientific 

 publications, and had received the first of them by last mail. They were 

 then on the table, and would be lent out to be read by members at the close 

 of the meeting. Any not taken out would lie at his office. He had also to 

 mention that they had received a number of New Zealand birds from the 

 south, which illustrated the advantage of being connected with the New 

 Zealand Institute. 



The President then read the following 



INAraUEAL ADDRESS. 



G-ENTLEMEJf, — "We are met this evening, for the first time, as the mem- 

 bers of an Institute, ha-vdng for its object the promotion of art, science, and 

 literature. We have laid the foundation of a society embracing a very wide 

 field of operations, but as yet we have performed only a small portion of 

 what we have undertaken, and the foundation will be useless if we fail suc- 

 cessfully to prosecute the work. 



It is obvious that we have taken upon ourselves no light task, if we 

 discharge efficiently but one-half even of the duties which devolve upon us. 



