MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES. 95 
were now 247 members on the roll, 15 having been added during 
the year. 
The balance sheet showed the total receipts to have been £316 
rss, 7d. (including a balance from the previous year of £105 14s. 
7d.), and the expenditure £171 13s. 8d., leaving a balance in hand 
Ob 6145 1S..11d. 
The President, Dr. Buller, then delivered his annual address.* 
The election of office-bearers for the ensuing year resulted as 
follows :—President—Dr Buller, F R.S.,C M.G.; Vice-presidents— 
Dr. Newman and Mr. R. W. Govett; Council—Drs. Hector, 
F.R.S., Grabham, and Hutchinson, Messrs. W. T. L. Travers, 
F.L.S., Cox, Chapman, and King ; Hon. Secretary and Treasurer— 
Mr. R. B. Gore; Auditor—Mr. H. Logan. 
Pe COSOPHICAL: INSTITUTE OF CANTERBURY. 
Christchurch, 6th March, 1884.—Mr. R. W. Fereday, Presi- 
dent, in the chair. 
Papers—1. Professor Hutton gave an address on Earthquakes. 
He explained the movements of the earth during the shock, and 
the effects produced by shocks on buildings, &c. He then ex- 
plained the origin of the earthquake waves, and said that, accord- 
ing to some scientific men, even the remarkable red sunsets seen 
during the last five months may be regarded as an indirect effect 
of the great earthquake and volcanic explosion that took place in 
the Straits of Sunda on August 27th and 28th. He then men- 
tioned the earthquakes in New Zealand, and exhibited a drawing 
of an under-cut rock pinnacle on the Lyttelton hills, which proved, 
in his opinion, that no severe earthquake had occurred in that 
district for many thousands of years. ' 
Mr. A. Ringwood agreed that the red sunsets were due to the 
fine dust in the air left by the explosion of Krakatoa; this dust 
had been driven 40 miles high, above the ordinary currents of the 
atmosphere, and had spread over the whole globe, It was probably 
kept from falling by having the same kind of electricity as the 
earth, and consequently repelled by it. He thought that this dust 
mantle was sufficient to intercept a considerable portion of the 
sun’srays, and was thus the cause of our remarkably cold summer. 
Mr. Hogben thought that earthquakes were caused bythe cool- 
ing and shrinking of the earth’s crust. He doubted the opinion 
that the red sunsets were caused by volcanic dust, he thought that 
an extra amount of aqueous vapour in the air might be the true ex- 
planation. 
Mr. Inglis described some fissures produced by earthquakes in 
the Manawatu district, in Wellington, the most remarkable of 
which ran along the crest of a sand hill. He also mentioned that 
the chimney of his house was partly twisted round by the shock. 
_ Mr. Dobson described the fissured structure of some rocks in 
Victoria, which he considered had been caused by three successive 
earthquakes from three different directions. 
Dr. Bakewell mentioned his experiences of earthquakes in 
Trinidad and elsewhere. 
Mr. Lambert thought that the sands and gravels under Christ- 
| church would act as a cushion to deaden earthquake shocks, and 
consequently he did not fear any dangerous ones taking place there. 
MME Srsre ns wWei nyt er ee 
* Given in full at page 55. 
