﻿532 
  Proceedings. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  BuUer 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  gratifying 
  to 
  find 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  taking 
  up 
  this 
  

   branch 
  of 
  zoology, 
  and 
  he 
  hoped 
  the 
  author 
  Avould 
  continue 
  his 
  useful 
  work. 
  

  

  6, 
  " 
  Notes 
  and 
  Suggestions 
  on 
  the 
  Utilization 
  of 
  certain 
  neglected 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  Timbers," 
  by 
  T. 
  Kirk, 
  F.L.S. 
  [Transactions, 
  p. 
  458.) 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Field 
  was 
  glad 
  that 
  attention 
  had 
  been 
  drawn 
  to 
  this 
  subject. 
  He 
  had 
  been 
  

   assured 
  by 
  a 
  French 
  gentleman 
  now 
  preparing 
  a 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  subject, 
  that 
  a 
  ready 
  market 
  

   could 
  be 
  found 
  for 
  these 
  ornamental 
  timbers 
  in 
  Paris. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  J. 
  T. 
  Thomson 
  considered 
  that 
  great 
  difficulty 
  would 
  be 
  experienced 
  in 
  preserving 
  

   our 
  timbers. 
  The 
  settlers 
  do 
  not 
  care 
  about 
  moving 
  in 
  the 
  matter, 
  and 
  if 
  done 
  at 
  all 
  it 
  

   must 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  Government. 
  It 
  would, 
  he 
  thought, 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  utilize 
  these 
  timbers 
  

   to 
  the 
  extent 
  pointed 
  out. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  the 
  destruction 
  to 
  our 
  forests 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  

   as 
  was 
  supposed 
  ; 
  the 
  blue 
  gum 
  would 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  replace 
  them. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Buller 
  gathered 
  from 
  the 
  paper 
  that 
  what 
  the 
  author 
  particularly 
  wished 
  to 
  

   advocate 
  was 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  trade 
  in 
  ornamental 
  timbers 
  between 
  New 
  Zealand 
  

   and 
  Europe 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  his 
  experience 
  he 
  thought 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  no 
  difficulty 
  whatever 
  

   in 
  carrying 
  this 
  out. 
  The 
  conservation 
  of 
  the 
  forests 
  would 
  follow 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  course. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Knorpp 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  enabled 
  to 
  bring 
  these 
  timbers 
  prominently 
  

   before 
  the 
  continental 
  people, 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  exhibited 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  Paris 
  Exhibition, 
  

   made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Seuffert, 
  of 
  Auckland, 
  and 
  he 
  understood 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  so 
  much 
  admired 
  

   that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  awarded 
  a 
  medal. 
  He 
  had 
  a 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  rewarewa 
  and 
  

   totara 
  knots 
  now 
  in 
  Wellington, 
  which 
  he 
  would 
  gladly 
  give 
  up 
  to 
  anyone 
  who 
  would 
  

   undertake 
  to 
  send 
  them 
  either 
  to 
  Paris 
  or 
  London 
  as 
  an 
  experiment, 
  and 
  he 
  would 
  assist 
  

   them 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  he 
  could 
  in 
  opening 
  up 
  a 
  trade 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  E. 
  E. 
  Brown 
  asked 
  if 
  the 
  white 
  pine 
  cut 
  fresh 
  here, 
  and 
  sent 
  away, 
  would 
  

   still 
  be 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  destructive 
  insect 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  author 
  explained 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  of 
  opinion 
  

   that 
  the 
  insect 
  only 
  attacked 
  white 
  pine 
  that 
  was 
  cut 
  out 
  of 
  season. 
  Mr. 
  Kirk 
  further 
  

   stated 
  in 
  reply 
  that 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  any 
  amount 
  of 
  planting 
  we 
  could 
  do 
  should 
  prevent 
  

   us 
  from 
  conserving 
  our 
  forests. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  forests 
  of 
  blue 
  gum 
  that 
  he 
  knew 
  of 
  to 
  

   make 
  up 
  for 
  the 
  destruction. 
  No 
  opposition 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  settlers 
  should 
  prevent 
  the 
  

   forests 
  being 
  protected. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  done 
  sooner 
  or 
  later, 
  and 
  the 
  sooner 
  the 
  better 
  for 
  

   all 
  concerned. 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman 
  admitted 
  that 
  the 
  destruction 
  was 
  great, 
  but 
  agreed 
  with 
  Mr. 
  

   Thomson 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  stopping 
  it. 
  An 
  able 
  report 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  on 
  

   the 
  subject 
  by 
  Captain 
  Campbell-Walker, 
  but 
  nothing 
  had 
  come 
  of 
  it. 
  If 
  it 
  were 
  looked 
  

   at 
  as 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  colony, 
  then 
  something 
  might 
  be 
  done. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  

   dry 
  rot 
  could 
  be 
  stopped, 
  unless 
  the 
  timber 
  were 
  floated 
  ; 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  answer 
  in 
  India. 
  

   None 
  of 
  the 
  plans 
  for 
  preserving 
  timber 
  mentioned 
  would, 
  he 
  thought, 
  be 
  successful, 
  

   except 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  creosote, 
  and 
  that 
  was 
  too 
  expensive. 
  The 
  beauty 
  of 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  timber 
  had 
  been 
  exaggerated. 
  None 
  of 
  it 
  could 
  compare 
  with 
  mahogany, 
  walnut, 
  

   and 
  several 
  others. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  kauri 
  as 
  others 
  did. 
  The 
  high 
  rate 
  

   of 
  interest 
  is 
  against 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  timber 
  trade, 
  as 
  proposed, 
  between 
  this 
  and 
  

   other 
  countries. 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman 
  drew 
  attention 
  to 
  casts 
  of 
  a 
  Maori 
  idol, 
  procured 
  from 
  the 
  natives 
  in 
  

   the 
  North 
  by 
  Sir 
  George 
  Grey, 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  interesting 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  bearing 
  such 
  a 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  idols 
  found 
  in 
  other 
  islands 
  far 
  from 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  John 
  Kebbell 
  also 
  explained 
  the 
  working 
  of 
  a 
  gas-lamp 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  constructed 
  

   with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  enabling 
  one 
  uniform 
  temperature 
  to 
  be 
  kept 
  up 
  in 
  any 
  room. 
  

  

  The 
  lamp 
  in 
  question 
  had 
  been 
  prepared 
  for 
  the 
  clockroom 
  at 
  the 
  Observatory. 
  

  

  