Wellington PliilosopMcal Society. 585 



The President considered that it would be better to postpone the discussion. From 

 what he gathered the paper went to show that the accumulation of wealth, unless 

 employed in doing good to all classes of the community, was misapplied. 



6. "On Hymenoplnjllum villosum, Colenso," by T. Kirk, F.L.S. 

 {Transactions, p. 395.) 



7. " Notice of the Occurrence of a Variety of Zostera nana, %oth, in 

 New Zealand," by T. Kii-k, F.L.S. {Transactions, p. 392.) 



8. " On the NaturaHzed Plants of Port Nicholson and the Adjacent 

 District," by T. Kirk, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 362.) 



Dr. Hector remarked that in Sydney and Victoria the variegated thistle is cultivated 

 for feeding stock, where grass is scarce. 



The following papers were taken as read : — 



9. "On the Belemnites found in New Zealand," by James Hector, 

 C.M.G-., M.D., F.E.S. {Transactions, p. 484.) 



10. " On the Mercurial Springs of the Bay of Islands," by Dr. Hector, 

 Director of the Geological Survey. 



ABSTEACT, 



The author gives the result of a re-examination of the district in 1874, and 

 contends that the brown decomposing sandstone, with lignite and carbonized vegetation 

 mentioned by Capt., Hutton as containing the deposits of mercury,* is only a local 

 tufaceous deposit formed by the springs, which mechanically precipitate incoherent grains 

 of silica coloured with iron. An analysis of water from the springs made in 1869 f shows 

 that they are strongly acid and free from the soluble silica that forms the cement of the 

 deposits at Kotomahana. 



The springs escape round the terminal end of a floe of grey scoriaceous lava that has 

 been ejected from a cone on the south shore of the Omapori Lake. This lava is quite 

 superficial, and rests on the denuded surface of indurated marlstones belonging probably 

 to the cretaceous series. Several streams take their rise from springs in the locality, and 

 there is a chain of lakes which, from their position and relative level, are like the streams 

 supplied by underground leakage from the lake, the level of the Omapori Lake being 748 

 feet, and that of the springs 630 feet above the sea. 



The author considers that the thermal and mercurial qualities of the springs are not 

 due to any active volcanic influence, but to chemical decomjDosition which is taking 

 place in the under part of the lava floe, through which the waters are infiltrated. 



11. On certain of the Mineral Waters of New Zealand," by William 

 Skey, Analyst to the Geological Survey Department. {Trans., p. 423.) 



12. " On the Eesult of an Examination of certain of our Manganese 

 Ores for Cobalt," by William Skey. {Transactions, p. 448.) 



13. " On the Solubility of Calcic Carbonate in Solutions of the Alkaline 

 Chlorides," by AVilliam Skey. {Transactions, p. 449.) 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., IIL, 252. f Ante, p. 425. 



