﻿564 
  Proceeditigs, 
  

  

  faults, 
  mineral 
  veins, 
  and 
  the 
  hundred 
  other 
  particulars 
  that 
  constitute 
  a 
  complete 
  survey 
  

   are 
  still 
  -wanting. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  many 
  years 
  before 
  the 
  State 
  can 
  supply 
  them. 
  Why 
  should 
  

   the 
  work 
  not 
  be 
  done, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  by 
  amateurs, 
  for 
  its 
  own 
  sake 
  ? 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  

   as 
  interesting 
  as 
  fern-hunting, 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  botanical 
  pursuits 
  that 
  are 
  so 
  popular. 
  There 
  

   are 
  few 
  districts 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  that 
  present 
  greater 
  inducements 
  to 
  geological 
  research 
  

   than 
  the 
  one 
  immediately 
  surrounding 
  Dunedin. 
  Every 
  square 
  mile 
  speaks 
  a 
  volume, 
  

   still 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  one 
  page 
  written. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  enumerate 
  specifically 
  the 
  subjects 
  in 
  

   economic 
  geology, 
  about 
  which 
  information 
  is 
  most 
  wanted, 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  so 
  few 
  about 
  

   which 
  oixr 
  knowledge 
  is 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  complete. 
  Professors 
  Hutton 
  and 
  Ulrich 
  have 
  given 
  a 
  

   concise 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  information 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Geology 
  of 
  Otago," 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  mainly 
  

   useful 
  in 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  field 
  is 
  practically 
  unexplored. 
  

  

  The 
  labours 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Hector, 
  Mr. 
  Kirk, 
  Capt. 
  Campbell 
  Walker 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Buchanan, 
  

   have 
  thrown 
  great 
  light 
  on 
  economic 
  botany 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  PJiormuim, 
  timber-trees, 
  and 
  grasses 
  

   are 
  concerned, 
  but 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  exhausted. 
  We 
  are 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  habits, 
  age, 
  growth, 
  habitat 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  soil, 
  elevation 
  and 
  cUmate, 
  reproduction 
  and 
  

   cultivation, 
  and 
  numerous 
  other 
  particulars 
  regarding 
  the 
  useful 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  colony. 
  

  

  The 
  chemistry 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  products 
  is 
  perhaps 
  less 
  known 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  of 
  their 
  

   attributes. 
  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  Mr. 
  Skey's 
  incessant 
  labours 
  have 
  determined 
  the 
  consti- 
  

   tuents 
  and 
  properties 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  Professor 
  Black 
  has 
  also 
  done 
  good 
  service 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  direction. 
  But 
  the 
  field 
  is 
  so 
  extensive, 
  and 
  the 
  labourers 
  are 
  so 
  few, 
  that 
  we 
  

   can 
  only 
  consider 
  the 
  study 
  as 
  begun. 
  The 
  work 
  already 
  done 
  bears 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  

   proportion 
  to 
  what 
  is 
  requked 
  as 
  the 
  meridian 
  lines 
  do 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  markings 
  on 
  a 
  

   map. 
  We 
  want 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  constituents 
  of 
  almost 
  every 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  natural 
  

   kingdoms 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  utilized. 
  It 
  is 
  chemists 
  that 
  tell 
  us 
  if 
  our 
  ores 
  are 
  payable 
  ; 
  if 
  

   our 
  soils 
  are 
  productive 
  ; 
  if 
  our 
  building 
  stones 
  are 
  durable 
  ; 
  if 
  our 
  mortars 
  are 
  tenacious 
  ; 
  

   and 
  if 
  our 
  food 
  is 
  wholesome. 
  Without 
  the 
  information 
  they 
  can 
  furnish, 
  our 
  material 
  

   progress 
  would 
  be 
  slow 
  indeed, 
  a 
  mere 
  groping 
  in 
  the 
  dark. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  service 
  he 
  can 
  render 
  in 
  analysing 
  raw 
  materials, 
  the 
  chemist 
  in 
  a 
  

   new 
  country 
  has 
  a 
  wider 
  field 
  for 
  original 
  research 
  than 
  his 
  compeer 
  at 
  home. 
  He 
  has 
  

   before 
  him 
  every 
  day 
  substances 
  to 
  which 
  chemical 
  tests 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  applied, 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  his 
  chances 
  of 
  being 
  a 
  discoverer 
  are 
  greatly 
  increased. 
  This 
  alone 
  should 
  be 
  an 
  

   incentive 
  to 
  perseverance 
  in 
  every 
  student 
  of 
  chemistry. 
  

  

  The 
  publication 
  in 
  a 
  systematic 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  analyses 
  of 
  native 
  products, 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  

   various 
  laboratories 
  throughout 
  the 
  colony, 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  boon 
  to 
  all 
  who 
  are 
  interested 
  

   in 
  the 
  promotion 
  of 
  applied 
  science. 
  

  

  Turning 
  now 
  from 
  natru'al 
  science 
  to 
  the 
  sciences 
  that 
  affect 
  our 
  interests 
  as 
  com- 
  

   munities, 
  we 
  have 
  numerous 
  subjects 
  worthy 
  of 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  our 
  deliberations. 
  For 
  instance, 
  

   the 
  sanitary 
  condition 
  of 
  our 
  towns 
  ; 
  water 
  supply 
  ; 
  drainage 
  and 
  cleanliness 
  in 
  general. 
  

   Intercommunication 
  — 
  postal, 
  telegraph 
  — 
  -and 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  roads, 
  railways 
  and 
  steamers 
  ; 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  harbours, 
  and 
  devastation 
  by 
  flood. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  subjects 
  are 
  of 
  vital 
  

   importance 
  to 
  the 
  community, 
  and 
  then' 
  consideration 
  comes 
  fairly 
  within 
  the 
  functions 
  

   of 
  the 
  Institute, 
  still 
  they 
  are 
  seldom 
  discussed. 
  

  

  The 
  development 
  of 
  manufactures 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important, 
  intricate 
  and 
  uncer- 
  

   tain 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  subjects 
  with 
  which 
  a 
  new 
  country 
  has 
  to 
  deal 
  ; 
  so 
  much 
  is 
  it 
  dependent 
  

   on 
  Free 
  Trade 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  considerations 
  of 
  pohtical 
  economy. 
  The 
  all-irhportant 
  

   question 
  " 
  will 
  it 
  pay 
  " 
  comes 
  in 
  at 
  every 
  step, 
  and 
  each 
  case 
  is 
  influenced 
  by 
  surrounding 
  

   circumstance, 
  consequently 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  settled 
  on 
  its 
  merits. 
  No 
  general 
  rule 
  can 
  be 
  laid 
  

   down 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  For 
  these 
  reasons 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  establishing 
  manufactures 
  is 
  

  

  