AUSTEALASIAN ASSOCIATION. 8 I 



Association. The American Association is not limited to the United 

 States. As his Excellency the Governor has told you, the British 

 Association met on Canadian soil. Some of our meetings are also held 

 in the large centres of the Dominion of Canada, and the meeting of the 

 British Association was really a joint meeting of the two Associations. 

 We sometimes think that blocd is thicker than water. Now, my 

 honoured colleagues, through me, extend to you an invitation to visit 

 our Association. Do not regard it as one of those general invitations 

 which means just drop in as you piss by; but if you find you can be 

 present at any of our meetings just inform our General Secretary, and 

 when you did meet, then the general invitation, you would find would 

 be converted into a specific one. I again thank you for your cordial 

 welcome, and, congratulating the Association upon its past and present 

 success, I have only now to express on behalf of our Association, and 

 on my own behalf, our best wishes for Australasia and the Australasian 

 Association. 



Sir James Hector then delivered the following presidential address 

 — When I rashly replied in the affirmative to the cablegram which I 

 received from our Secretary in Melbourne, asking me to undertake the 

 honourable and responsible duties which I have to commence this 

 evening, I fear I did not fully realise the difficulties of the position, 

 but since then the sense of my untitnesss for the task has become very 

 oppressive. To address an assembly of this kind on general science 

 must involve unusual difficulties, owing to the audience being largely 

 composed of those who, only taking a casual interest in scientific 

 discussions, look chiefly to the results ; while, at the same time, there 

 are present specialists in almost every branch of knowledge. I feel 

 that on this occasion I must be ruled by the interest of the majority, 

 and claim the forbearance of my fellow workers in science if I have to 

 refer in a sketchy way to subjects iu which they are deeply interested, 

 and far more learned than I profess to be. Seeing that I am addressing 

 a Christchurch audience I hope I may be permitted, in the fir»t place, 

 to say a word concerning one whose scientific services should, without 

 doubt, have obtained for him the position of first President in New 

 Zealand of the Australasian Association. We naturally recall the 

 name of Sir Julius Von Haast on this occasion, and mourn for the loss 

 the colony has sustained of one who for thirty years occupied a most 

 prominent position. His early reseaiches in the North Island in 

 company with Von Hochstetter, were followed by the exploration of 

 the remote, districts on the west coast of Nelson, after which Canterbury 

 secured his distinguished services, and enabled him to leave that 

 monument of varied scientific knowledge, shrewd capacity and inde- 

 fatigable industry which is to be found iu the Canterbury Museum. 

 There are others of our fellow-colonists whose wide range of experience 

 would have peculiarly fitted them to act as your President, and I am 

 able to say that had our veteran colonist and explorer Sir George Grey 

 felt more assured in health and strength it would have been your 

 pleasure this evening to listen to a flood of eloquence on all scientific 

 topics that relate to the future development of Australasia. There is 

 another name I feel must be mentioned as one who should have been 

 in this position had his health permitted. I refer to the Bev. William 

 Colenso, who is not oidy the greatest authority on the folk-lore of the 

 Maoris, on whom he was among the first to confer a printed literature 



