﻿396 Proceedings. 



new building, to consider tlie pi'opriety of increasing the number of members 

 of the Council, and of calling for building plans and estimates. 



New members. — Edward Kinlock, William Lodder, William Gorrie. 



A list of donations to the Library and Museum was read by the Secretary. 



Owing to the advanced period of the evening it was decided to post- 

 pone the reading of a paper on the Defence of Auckland Harbour, by Dr. 

 Stratford. 



1. .Note accompanying a Tomahawk formerly belonging to the Cannibal 

 Chief Taraia, presented to the Museum by Dr. J. L. Campbell. 



This tomahawk was given by Taraia to the wiiter, who says concerning it : 

 " You have it even as he untwisted it from his wrist. The flax leaf, then green, 

 has dried in more than a score years, during which it was buried in one of the 

 di'awers of my office table. You have his autograph on the handle carved by 

 himself." 



2. " Notes on a Thermal Spring near Helensville, Kaipara," by Robert 

 Mair. In the winter of 1864, accompanied by a friend, the wiiter visited a 

 thermal spring near Helensville, Kaipara. He made no notes at the time, but 

 gives the following details from memory : — 



At the head of the Kaipara Estuary there is an extensive plain, bounded 

 on the south-western side by sand-hills about 500 feet in height, and on the 

 north-eastern side by the winding Kaipara River ; a gi-eat portion of it is 

 extremely low and swampy ; the vegetation consisting principally of tea-tree 

 scrub ( Le2otospermum scopariumj and Phormium tenax. The land is good, 

 but near the river bank is under water during unusually high tides ; and at 

 one time the whole of this plain was probably beneath the waters of the 

 Kaipara Estuary. 



The spring is situated on this plain about a quarter of a mile from the 

 western bank of the river, and two miles below Helensville ; in the centre of a 

 small swampy watercourse, we found it issuing from a hole a foot in diameter. 

 Though a current of cold surface water mingled with it, the temperature was 

 120 degrees. Little cloiids of vapour rose from the spring, the water of which. 

 was perfectly clear, and had a slight inky taste. 



During the following summer several persons from Mr. McLeod's station 

 at Helensville visited the spring, and on their return reported that the water 

 in it was quite cold. Unfortunately I was unable to test the accuracy of this 

 •statement by another visit, but nevertheless believe it to be a fact, as the 

 locality of the spring was well known to those who visited it on this occasion. 

 Mr. Kirk stated his impression that the spring was intermittent. 



Dr. J. R. Nicholson stated that he had visited the spring, and was 

 acquainted with persons who had been there frequently, but he had never 

 heard any statement supporting Mr. Kirk's view of the case. 



