22 A. LIYERSIDGE. 



for water vapour or moisture, we however did not make any 

 special preparations, and if the investigation were made in a more 

 systematic way positive instead of negative results might perhaps 

 be obtained, although I do not now much expect such would be 

 the case ; when I first saw the haze on my arrival here, it certainly 

 did give me the impression that it was due to something more than 

 mere moisture in the air. 



I venture to throw out these suggestions as to investigations, 

 which require to be done, in the hope that by so doing it may 

 lead to the work being taken up by some one having the necessary 

 leisure and qualifications. 



Australasian Anthropology. — It is very satisfactory to find that 

 the two meetings of the Australasian Association have also (i.e.,. 

 in addition to the Society's effort to elicit papers) been the means 

 of eliciting further papers upon Polynesian anthropology and 

 languages ; papers which in all probability would not otherwise 

 have seen the light for some time, or perhaps, even not at all. 

 Doubtless others may be thereby induced to publish their obser- 

 vations and researches upon such matters, for many persons will 

 follow when they will not lead or originate. There is much more 

 to be done, but all honour however, is due to Messrs. Beveridge, 

 Ella, Fyson, Fraser, Howitt, Pratt, Ridley and others who have 

 led the way ; it is still an almost unploughed field, but not a 

 barren one ; although much patient hard work would probably be 

 required to penetrate through and remove the superficial deposits 

 of half-known and imperfectly understood knowledge, but from 

 deeper depths the true worker would be amply repaid by an 

 abundant harvest. It is rather remarkable that so little is done in 

 original researches upon the Australian and Polynesian languages, 

 manners and customs, when it is borne in mind how many hundreds 

 of people there are in the Colonies who have had a linguistic and 

 literary training, which should have qualified them for such studies. 

 Unfortunately, however, this kind of education does not seem to 

 induce many of its possessors to make original inquiries nor to 

 investigate the methods and science of language. Probably this 



