﻿Otago 
  Institute. 
  563 
  

  

  discovery 
  at 
  once 
  brings 
  tlie 
  theoretical 
  searcher 
  into 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  whole 
  world 
  

   of 
  science, 
  but 
  the 
  practical 
  worker 
  may 
  si^end 
  a 
  lifetime 
  in 
  developing 
  the 
  resources 
  of 
  

   the 
  country 
  and 
  promoting 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  his 
  fellow-colonists, 
  without 
  being 
  known 
  or 
  

   recognized 
  outside 
  the 
  narrow 
  sphere 
  of 
  his 
  labom-s. 
  

  

  Instead 
  of 
  occupying 
  his 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  abstruse 
  theories 
  which 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  

   left 
  to 
  the 
  master 
  minds 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  world, 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  labours 
  of 
  our 
  scientific 
  men 
  of 
  all 
  

   kinds 
  should 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  recording 
  of 
  observed 
  facts 
  in 
  pure 
  science, 
  and 
  the 
  fuller 
  

   investigation 
  of 
  such 
  subjects 
  as 
  have 
  a 
  direct 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  practical 
  work 
  of 
  coloniza- 
  

   tion. 
  Instead 
  of 
  speculating 
  on 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  earthquakes, 
  the 
  oscillations 
  of 
  land 
  and 
  

   sea, 
  and 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  moa, 
  geologists, 
  if 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  actually 
  search 
  for 
  our 
  minerals 
  

   themselves, 
  should 
  at 
  least 
  define 
  the 
  age, 
  extent 
  and 
  dkection 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  geological 
  

   formations, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  localities 
  in 
  which 
  minerals 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  

   Instead 
  of 
  investigating 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  some 
  minute 
  lichen 
  found 
  only 
  on 
  Mount 
  Cook 
  

   or 
  Mount 
  Egmont, 
  om' 
  botanists 
  should 
  first 
  exhaust 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  forest 
  trees, 
  their 
  

   rate 
  of 
  growth, 
  general 
  habits, 
  and 
  facility 
  of 
  reproduction. 
  

  

  We 
  might 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  run 
  round 
  the 
  " 
  circle 
  of 
  the 
  sciences," 
  giving 
  the 
  positive 
  

   and 
  negative 
  duties 
  in 
  each 
  case, 
  but 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  better 
  if 
  I 
  simply 
  refer 
  to 
  what 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  industrial 
  science 
  throughout 
  the 
  colony 
  and 
  what 
  remains 
  to 
  

   be 
  done 
  within 
  the 
  jurisdiction 
  of 
  our 
  Institute. 
  

  

  The 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Exhibition 
  of 
  1865 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  only 
  systematic 
  attempt 
  made 
  

   to 
  investigate 
  our 
  resources. 
  Considering 
  it 
  was 
  collated 
  at 
  such 
  an 
  early 
  stage 
  of 
  our 
  

   history, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  comparatively 
  short 
  time, 
  the 
  information 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  jurors' 
  reports 
  

   is 
  wonderfully 
  complete 
  and 
  correct. 
  The 
  collection 
  of 
  1865 
  has 
  never 
  undergone 
  a 
  

   general 
  revision. 
  Several 
  of 
  the 
  subjects 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  up 
  individually 
  by 
  subsequent 
  

   observers 
  and 
  the 
  information 
  amplified, 
  but 
  the 
  results 
  are 
  diffused 
  through 
  so 
  many 
  

   varied 
  pu.blications, 
  and 
  so 
  mixed 
  up 
  with 
  extraneous 
  matter, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  scarcely 
  

   available. 
  To 
  tliis 
  day 
  the 
  reports, 
  as 
  they 
  originally 
  stood, 
  form 
  the 
  only 
  compendium 
  

   we 
  have 
  of 
  the 
  resources 
  and 
  industries 
  of 
  the 
  colony. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  important 
  additions 
  

   that 
  have 
  lately 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  our 
  information 
  on 
  these 
  subjects 
  have 
  been 
  Contributed 
  by 
  

   the 
  Native 
  Industry 
  Committee 
  of 
  Parliament, 
  and 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Hector, 
  Professor 
  Hutton, 
  Mr. 
  

   Kirk, 
  and 
  the 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Museum 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  amatem's 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  practical 
  

   science. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  subjects 
  that 
  have 
  received 
  special 
  attention 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  Deposits 
  of 
  gold 
  

   and 
  coal 
  ; 
  conservation 
  of 
  forests 
  ; 
  qualities 
  of 
  soils 
  ; 
  properties 
  of 
  native 
  grasses 
  ; 
  edible 
  

   fishes 
  ; 
  cultivation 
  of 
  Phormium, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  others 
  of 
  less 
  importance. 
  Dr, 
  

   Hector's 
  assistants 
  — 
  Messrs. 
  Skey 
  and 
  Buchanan 
  — 
  have 
  each 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  department 
  done 
  

   great 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  science, 
  theoretically 
  and 
  iDractically. 
  Mr. 
  Skey's 
  original 
  

   researches 
  in 
  the 
  chemistry 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  products 
  deserve 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  passing 
  notice 
  I 
  

   can 
  give. 
  Each 
  successive 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  Transactions 
  bears 
  testimony 
  to 
  his 
  untiring 
  

   application. 
  

  

  What 
  is 
  now 
  wanted 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  information 
  already 
  obtained 
  on 
  each 
  subject 
  should 
  

   be 
  collected 
  and 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  systematic 
  form, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  readily 
  available 
  to 
  all. 
  

   Blanks 
  should 
  be 
  filled 
  up 
  where 
  possible, 
  and 
  when 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  done, 
  their 
  existence 
  

   should 
  be 
  pointed 
  out, 
  so 
  that 
  future 
  observers 
  may 
  explore 
  new 
  ground. 
  

  

  In 
  Geology 
  much 
  yet 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  ; 
  the 
  Government 
  geologists 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   colony 
  have 
  accomplished 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  could 
  reasonably 
  be 
  expected 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  time, 
  

   and 
  with 
  the 
  means 
  at 
  their 
  disiDOsal. 
  But 
  it 
  amounts 
  to 
  Uttle 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  general 
  

   indication 
  of 
  the 
  locale 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  formations 
  ; 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  strike, 
  inclination, 
  

  

  