﻿530 
  Proceedings. 
  

  

  Sixth 
  Meeting, 
  9th 
  November, 
  1878. 
  

   John 
  CaiTuthers, 
  M. 
  Inst. 
  C.E., 
  Vice-president, 
  in 
  the 
  Chair. 
  

   Dr. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Buller, 
  C.M.G., 
  was 
  chosen 
  to 
  Yote 
  in 
  the 
  election 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  

   Governors 
  for 
  the 
  ensuing 
  year, 
  iu 
  accordance 
  with 
  clause 
  7 
  of 
  " 
  The 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Insti- 
  

   tute 
  Act." 
  

  

  The 
  nomination 
  for 
  the 
  election 
  of 
  honorary 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Institute 
  

   was 
  made 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  statute 
  IV. 
  

  

  1. 
  " 
  An 
  Account 
  of 
  Improvements 
  on 
  Miramar 
  Peninsula," 
  by 
  J. 
  C. 
  

   Crawford, 
  F.G.S. 
  

  

  ABSTRACT. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  stated 
  that 
  in 
  1840 
  the 
  Peninsula 
  was 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  thick 
  

   vegetation 
  of 
  fern, 
  flax, 
  toitoi, 
  and 
  shrubs, 
  a 
  few 
  patches 
  of 
  bush 
  being 
  stiU 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground. 
  Burnham 
  Water 
  was 
  then 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  about 
  200 
  acres 
  

   in 
  extent. 
  

  

  In 
  1846 
  he 
  decided 
  to 
  drain 
  Burnham 
  Water, 
  and 
  in 
  1847 
  accepted 
  a 
  

   tender 
  to 
  diive 
  a 
  tunnel 
  through 
  the 
  ridge 
  between 
  Evans 
  Bay 
  and 
  the 
  

   Lagoon, 
  since 
  any 
  drain 
  made 
  towards 
  Lyall 
  Bay 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  hable 
  to 
  

   be 
  choked 
  by 
  blown 
  sands 
  during 
  southerly 
  weather. 
  When 
  the 
  tunnel 
  was 
  

   completed 
  drains 
  were 
  cut 
  through 
  the 
  swamp. 
  

  

  The 
  land 
  when 
  drained 
  was 
  very 
  sour 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  the 
  sandy 
  parts 
  

   required 
  time 
  to 
  gather 
  vegetation 
  before 
  further 
  operations 
  could 
  be 
  carried 
  

   on 
  to 
  advantage 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  drainage 
  proceeded, 
  grass-seed 
  was 
  sown, 
  and 
  

   a 
  good 
  sward 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  most 
  places. 
  He 
  estimates 
  the 
  cost 
  

   of 
  drainage, 
  from 
  first 
  to 
  last, 
  at 
  £3,000. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  fixing 
  the 
  sands, 
  the 
  author 
  states 
  that 
  he 
  sowed 
  seeds 
  of 
  

   Ammojohila 
  arundinacea 
  and 
  Elymus 
  arenarius, 
  and 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  believed 
  

   the 
  experiment 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  failure; 
  he, 
  however, 
  eventually 
  found 
  a 
  

   few 
  plants 
  of 
  Ammopliila, 
  and 
  by 
  continual 
  planting 
  succeeded 
  in 
  fixing 
  a 
  

   good 
  deal 
  of 
  the 
  sand. 
  He 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  Elymus 
  which 
  he 
  sowed 
  was 
  a 
  

   failure, 
  but 
  that 
  some 
  plants 
  subsequently 
  procured 
  were 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  

   superior 
  to 
  the 
  Ammopliila 
  for 
  fixing 
  blown 
  sands. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Martin 
  Chapman 
  said 
  that 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  drainage 
  would 
  in 
  time 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  use, 
  

   but 
  at 
  present 
  he 
  had 
  noticed 
  that 
  iu 
  dry 
  weather 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  thick 
  deposit 
  of 
  salt 
  on 
  the 
  

   land. 
  

  

  Q'he 
  Chairman 
  remarked 
  that 
  several 
  drainage 
  schemes 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  kind 
  had 
  been 
  

   undertaken 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  but 
  few 
  had 
  succeeded. 
  He 
  only 
  hoped 
  Mr. 
  Crawford 
  would 
  

   be 
  more 
  fortunate. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Kirk 
  considered 
  that 
  the 
  information 
  given 
  regarding 
  the 
  fixing 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  would 
  

   be 
  most 
  useful. 
  Mr. 
  Crawford 
  had 
  paid 
  particular 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  planting 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  

   to 
  its 
  spreading. 
  If 
  he 
  could 
  now 
  sow 
  wheat 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  plant 
  between 
  the 
  grass 
  a 
  

   thick 
  sward 
  would 
  in 
  time 
  form. 
  He 
  thought 
  the 
  salt 
  deposit 
  mentioned 
  only 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   that 
  portion 
  where 
  the 
  lake 
  had 
  beeili 
  He 
  was 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  performed 
  would 
  

   be 
  highly 
  remunerative. 
  

  

  