650 Proceedings. 



Mr. Firth considered that the whole of the northern portion of the North Island was 

 eminently suitable for the cultivation of Sorghum. It had this great advantage, that, 

 unlike the sugar-cane or beetroot, it required no very expensive plant of machinery to 

 extract the sugar. During late years its cultivation had increased in an enormous degree 

 in the United States, and there was every jorobability that in a short time a very large 

 proportion of the sugar consumed there would be produced by it. Sorghum had a further 

 advantage over beet, in the fact that the sugar it yielded was from the very first grateful 

 and acceptable to the palate, while in the case of beet-sugar the taste had to be trained 

 to like it. 



Mr. Pond was sorry that the discussion had turned on the comparative advantages of 

 Sorghum and beet, for he considered that there was ample room for the cultivation of both 

 in the Colony. As for the statement respecting the objectionable taste of beet-sugar, it 

 was quite certain that with proper methods of refining it was as pleasant to the taste as 

 sugar prepared from the sugar-cane or Sorghum. 



Mr. W. D. Campbell corroborated Mr. Pond's statement respecting the taste of refined 

 beet- sugar. 



2. "The Shadow of Justice," by E. A. Mackechnie. 



ABSTRACT. 



The object of this paper was to show that perfect justice is not attainable 

 (1) in consequence of the imperfection of the human mind itself ; (2) from 

 the different effects produced upon different minds by the same fact or set of 

 facts ; and (3) from the character of legal procedure in Courts of Justice. 



3. " The New Zealand DascyllidcF," by Captain Broun. (Reserved for 

 separate publication). 



ABSTRACT. 



The author remarked that we are indebted to Dr. Sharp, of Dumfries, 

 for most of our information on this difficult family of beetles. Dr. Sharp 

 enumerates 8 genera and 24 species. In the " Manual of the New Zealand 

 Coleoptera," 11 new species are added, and in the present paper 16 more, 

 making a total of 56 species known to inhabit New Zealand. Only 14 

 kinds are known to exist in Great Britain. 



4. Mr. Josiah Martin exhibited some photographs taken by the new platinum process. 

 On the motion of Mr. Peacock, seconded by Mr. Firth, Mr. J. T. Mackelvie, P.E.G.S., 



and Mr. T. Russell, C.M.G., were elected honorary members of the Auckland Institute. 



Fourth Meeting. 5th September-, 1881. 

 T. Peacock, President, in the chair. 

 New Members.—^. Coombes, E. Crauwell, E. C. Goldsmith, W. J. Offer. 

 A long discussion arose on Mr. Gillies' paper on Sorghum cultivation, read at the last 

 meeting. 



1. " On a Pseudomorphous Form of Gold," by W. D. Campbell, F.G.S. 

 {Transactions, p. 457). 



2. "Notice of the Occurrence of Epacris microjjkylla in New Zealand," 

 by A. T. Urquhart. {Transactions, p. 364). 



