Various

“ If a rich man wishes to share his wealth, after it has once been produced, with the poor, he must give them that which he would otherwise have used himself; he must let them walk in his garden and eat the fruit and pluck the flowers; he must take them drives in his carriage; give them velvet to wear which would otherwise have decked his wife; share his Chateau Lafitte with them, in short he must really be self-sacrificing; if he gives them that which was manufactured for the use of others, he is only using his wealth so as to compel other people to do good to the objects of his compassion. ”

“ The disastrous effects of the ravages of insects in the vegetable world are familiar, and the power of the canker-worm and the palmer-worm to change the character and climate of extensive regions is not a modern discovery. Forests of mighty trees that have withstood the battle and the breeze of centuries, whose hardihood and tenacity of life is great enough to enable them to survive the scorching and charring of their trunks by the fires that sweep again and again through the jungles, quickly succumb under the repeated attacks of myriads of seemingly despicable foes. ”

“ Gentlemen,—We are met this evening, for the first time, as the members of an Institute, having for its object the promotion of art, science, and literature. We have laid the foundation of a society embracing a very wide field of operations, but as yet we have performed only a small portion of what we have undertaken, and the foundation will be useless if we fail successfully to prosecute the work. ”

“ It may be affirmed, as a proposition universally true, that science is of great practical value; how peculiarly important is it that in this colony it should be generally cultivated. Here we are in a land abounding in raw materials of every description, of the greatest value and importance. Treasures of all kinds are spread with an unsparing hand around us in every direction, inviting us to accept the wealth, which, if properly used, they will bestow. Why do we not avail ourselves of the opportunity? ”

“ If he conducts it so as to lose money he is wasting the wealth entrusted to him and might as well buy velvet at once; the effect on the working classes would be the same.
If he makes money by his business he will become still richer and he must at last get rid of his wealth in some way. How is he to do it? Wealth is like the genius which had to be kept constantly employed or it would destroy its master. Unless it is constantly and properly employed its owner becomes a public enemy, and if it is properly employed it will perpetually increase, and make its owner's responsibility still greater. ”

“ On behalf of New Zealand we, as representatives of its Scientific Institutions, beg especially to thank you for the great work which you have achieved in collecting and preserving the early traditions and poetry of its aboriginal inhabitants, thereby securing the permanence of valuable records for the future study of Ethnologists. In bidding you a hearty farewell, it is our earnest hope and prayer that all honour, health, and happiness may attend you. ”

“ There is not an occupation in life which cannot be assisted by science; and in a newly-settled country like New Zealand there are especially some sciences the knowledge of which would have pointed out the way to fortunes, or saved from ruin many who have passed away or are still amongst us.
Of what service, for instance, may I ask, would not a competent knowledge of geology, mineralogy, and chemistry have been to many of us? It is not long since that some mineral specimens were brought to Auckland by men who were impressed with the belief that they had made a great discovery. ”

“ Music is poetry in sounds; melody, sounds arranged rhythmical order. With the sounds natural to New Zealand, and the songs of different nations in New Zealand, of what character are the national melodies likely to be? To the musical artist sounds and notes for melody are to be found everywhere, as the sighing of the wind, the dash of the waves on the shore. Mendelssohn found music in the dropping of water in Fingal's Cave, and has portrayed it in his "Overture to the Hebrides." Birds have their distinct notes; but only those that have been trained by man can sing a melody. ”

“ Many are plainly visible to the naked eye, and may be seen floating in water, either as scum, as compact green or purple masses, as skeins of threads attached to stones, sticks, or water plants, or as a simple discoloration mingled with the mud at the bottom;—others again are only discoverable by the microscope, or by the fact that, when they exist in vast numbers, they impart to the water a distinctive colour. ”

“ But when, through the progress of colonisation, these springs, truly described by Hochstetter as the "grandest in the world," shall have become more accessible, it cannot be doubted that, as multitudes of summer tourists from the cities of the old world now resort to the warm baths of Germany, and to the mountains of Switzerland, so thousands will hereafter flock from Australia, and from all parts of the southern hemisphere, to those regions of New Zealand where nature displays many of her most remarkable beauties and wonders in the most genial and healthy of climates. ”

“ But for this circle of evaporation and rainfall, the earth would be a sterile waste; but for the circle of consumption and production, man would be reduced to a state no better than that of the brutes.
Our stock of commodities would not keep us alive more than two or three years at the furthest, and if labour ceased, that short time would see the almost total extinction of civilised man. "The accumulated wealth of centuries" is a thing of imagination. ”

“ I believe that vast good is done by those who bring before the notice of others the thoughts and actions of great men, whether in ancient or modern times, in other parts of the world. By this means, a healthy desire for improvement may be instilled into the minds of many who otherwise would have but little inclination or opportunity for independent study, and the general taste will be elevated. At the same time let each man who has the ability add something original, in his own department of information, whether pertaining to science or literature, to the common stock of knowledge. ”

“ Where are we to look for such men in the youthful colony of New Zealand?
That this colony will grow rapidly in wealth and strength, and will eventually become a great nation, I do most firmly believe—it possesses all the elements for such a destiny. That the New Zealand Institute, with its incorporated societies, may keep pace, and in future ages become to New Zealand what the Royal Society is to England and the French Academy is to France, is the very utmost that we can ever hope for ”

“ With regard to forest conservation as concerning the question of climate, I may quote the words of Mr. Firth, who, in a paper read before the Auckland Institute in 1874, remarks that: "Denudation of timber produces barrenness of soil, increases insect life, creates drought, diminishes rain, accelerates evaporation, causes floods and untimely frosts, lessens the production of food, diminishes population, and finally degrades a nation. The glory of many an ancient empire departed with its forests. ”

“ The stock of commodities in the world is perpetually being consumed and replaced by others produced by the unceasing labour of man. It is like the sea, from which the sun is perpetually taking away, but to which all that is taken away is returned by the rivers after it has passed over and fertilised the land. ”

“ It is not important to any individual in what form his capital may be. He may hold cash, or land, or he may have a stock of commodities in his store which would be of no use to himself, if he could not exchange them; but, by the help of trade, his capital will give him whatever form of exchangeable wealth he may wish. Practically, he is not the owner of any particular commodity but of a share, proportioned to his capital, of all the commodities of the world. ”

“ There is in the world a certain store of commodities, part of which is suitable to the wants of the rich, and part to those of the poor. The capitalist may select which of these he will take for his share, but he cannot turn velvet into corduroy, nor Chateau Lafitte into gin. The proportions of these which have been produced have been decided by men whose occupation and interest it is to estimate, as closely as they can, the quantity of each that will be required, and any sudden upsetting of their calculations is pretty certain to do harm. ”

“ The Stella approached the Great King on the S.E. side. Seen from the sea, the aspect of the island is barren and forbidding in the extreme. Black and rugged cliffs, bare of vegetation, and often several hundred feet in height, form the greater part of the shore, and against them a heavy surf continually rolls, the spray dashing far up their sides. The summit of the island appeared to be covered with short tea-tree, flax, and sedges, and gave little promise of anything but a very scanty vegetation. ”

“ I am happy to say that there is not one of these subjects that has been not merely touched upon, but very carefully gone into; in fact, I greatly doubt whether any young country in the world has been so systematically investigated as New Zealand has been under the auspices of this Institute. I need not say how much of this has been due to the untiring energy of Dr. Hector, who has not only been the life and soul of the Society, but has had the laborious duty of editing the Volumes of Transactions. ”

“ Whilst speaking of scientific discoveries as applied to practical matters, I cannot leave unmentioned a process which, though extremely simple in itself, is likely to mark an era in the history of the colony, and greatly to increase its wealth. I refer to the freezing of meat, and other products which might perhaps be similarly treated. I may mention, in passing, that the object of the process is not, as might have been supposed, to change the temperature of the atmosphere, but to suspend the vivifying powers of the germs which are continually floating about in it. ”

“ To my mind, a deposit of a light substance like pumice, which ordinarily floats on the surface of the water, is only possible in enclosed sheets of water, which would not allow of its escape. If it once reached the open sea it would be carried far and wide by the winds and currents. There is one thing, however, which should not be forgotten, and that is, that the enclosed air, to which pumice owes its buoyancy, might under pressure be driven out, in which case, of course, it would become water-logged and sink, and would then form regular aqueous deposits like sand or clay. ”

“ The progress and popularity of the New Zealand Institute may be regarded as a not unimportant evidence of the condition of intellectual studies and tastes in this community. And here I may be permitted to allude to what seems the prominent characteristic of public opinion at the present day; I mean the active interest that has been awakened in everything which tends to the diffusion of sound education, and to the better qualification of the youth of the Colony for fulfilling their duty and privilege of self-government. ”

“ It is not till you enter the mountains that you escape the moisture of the coast, and quit for the scenery of the Alps the scenery of fairy land." Again, Sir C. Dilke's description of the view from Hokitika at sunrise would apply also to the same view from many other points on the West Coast: "A hundred miles of the Southern Alps stood out upon a pale blue sky in curves of gloomy white that were just beginning to blush with pink, but ended to the southward in a cone of fire that stood up from the ocean; it was the snow-dome of Mount Cook struck by the rising sun. ”

“ There would be no destruction of wealth more than there would be in throwing so many small pieces of paper away, and even less, for the "proper cost" of gold as a medium of exchange is absolutely nothing; the ownership only of it would be transferred to all other owners of money in the world. This would be therefore giving the wealth principally to the rich, and it would, by increasing the exchange value of gold, be an incentive to further gold mining, a most wasteful expenditure of labour ”

“ SCIENCE.
The past year has been one of exceptional activity in the world of science. Astronomers in all quarters of the globe have been watching with keen interest the movements of the magnificent comet which was visible last spring; two months ago we had the opportunity of seeing one of the most beautiful of astronomical phenomena—a total eclipse of the sun; and in December last scientific parties were despatched by almost every European nation to take careful observations of the transit of Venus. ”

“ Man standing alone is but weak, but union gives a power which may almost be said to be irresistible. Co-operation not only concentrates means which are all but useless when dispersed; it does more, it becomes creative, and gives life and development to new powers. ”

“ It is absurd to shut up a sheep-pen when the wolf is already in. Those prohibitive measures are not only useless, but in contradiction of the intentions professed by the Government to favour vine-culture, and contrary to the interests of the colony, and, especially of the vine-growers, who could obtain from Europe or elsewhere the best kinds of grape-vines, perfectly sound. ”

“ The sun is at a high temperature and rotates. The planets, in a solid, liquid, or gaseous state, revolve round in one general plane with orbits of varying area and of high eccentricity. All the motions, whether of sun or planets, have one common direction. Further it was shown that the planetary path is due to a portion of the original proper motion escaping conversion into heat at impact. For the same reason the temperature of the planet is lower than that of the sun, whose high molecular velocity, due to its temperature and comparatively small mass, may cause it to expand into a nebula. ”

“ Commodities which are removed from the circle of consumption and reproduction practically cease to be wealth, and their owner to be a capitalist. A steam-engine which is not at work might as well be in the moon for all the usefulness to man which it possesses, and the owner gets no benefit from it. ”

“ Whilst propounding his views about the narrow zone to which those creatures wise enough to object to being frozen withdrew, he appears to have forgotten the postulate with which he commenced; to have lost sight of the fact that this aimless action of natural selection must be deemed a myth, that the whole theory of descent, as Mr. Darwin himself says, must fall to the ground, if one fatal case is proved of a number of species having suddenly started into life all at once. ”

“ The importance of it is not merely to be regarded as one which concerns the scientific astronomer alone; for, to state it shortly, until we have the means of affixing accurate numerical values to those forms of vibration which are at present loosely known to us as light, electricity, magnetism, and other imponderable forms of energy, we can only imperfectly avail ourselves in practical life of these wonderful agents in ministering to the wants of mankind. ”

“ In the second place, I refer to Milford Sound and to those other grand and wondrous inlets of the south-west coast of the Middle Island, which, rarely visited by civilised man, and shrouded in almost perpetual mist and storm, combine the snowy peaks and glaciers of Switzerland with the gloomy forests, deep seas, and winding channels of the fiords of Norway. ”

“ If time is necessary for any important process of evolution, it must have been for this supposed wonderful transformation of the cold-blooded, solid-boned, scale-covered lizard, into the hot-blooded, hollow-boned, feathered birds, and the latter have certainly flourished in high perfection in New Zealand it will be admitted from most remote times.
We know from the history of Australia, during late geological ages, that the ancestors of the moas could not have migrated from thence. ”

“ While living, it was a truly superb, rich, velvety-looking creature; presenting, too, when at rest, such a regular and graceful equi-triangular outline. The eyes on its wings had (if I may so express myself) a living look, much as the irises of the eyes of men and animals are sometimes drawn when represented under bright light. ”

“ It is obvious that we have taken upon ourselves no light task, if we discharge efficiently but one-half even of the duties which devolve upon us. For myself, it would be much more agreeable to me to occupy a position of less prominence than that in which it has pleased the members of this Institute to place me, for I cannot but feel that much more will reasonably be expected from the President than I can hope to fulfil. ”

“ The great discoveries that are being every day made in the scientific world show us that, in the present state of society, some amount of scientific education is, in most cases, essential to make a successful practical man, a fact which none are more ready to admit than those who themselves feel the want of such a training. ”

“ In his work, entitled "Greater Britain," (Part II., chap. 2) , Sir Charles Dilke has truly observed "that the peculiarity which makes the New Zealand West Coast scenery the most beautiful in the world is that here alone you can find semi-tropical vegetation growing close up to the eternal snows. The latitude, and the great moisture of the climate, bring the glaciers very low into the valleys; . . . . . . and cause the growth of palm-like ferns on the ice-river's very edge. The glaciers of Mount Cook are the longest in the world, except those at the sources of the Indus ”

“ Everything, therefore, that tends to calm or mollify such passions, and render us more considerate and tolerant the one to the other, has—indeed, must have—a salutary effect. And what is better fitted to produce such an effect than meeting for the friendly discussion of topics connected with arts, science, and literature?
In a social point of view, therefore, the advantages which will result from a flourishing institution, such as this Institute may become under vigorous and careful management, should not be overlooked or depreciated. ”

“ At the same time I would impress on every member of the Society that science, in the popular sense of the term, is only a part of education; and I trust the day may be far distant when literature is neglected, as some fear it may be, for the study alone of purely external objects. ”

“ There are now no inhabitants whatsoever, either European or Maori;—the few families of natives seen in Dusky Bay in 1773, by Captain Cook, appear to have become extinct;—and the tales related by the old whalers of thirty years ago, concerning a tribe of wild men haunting these desolate shores, have probably as little foundation as the stories of flocks of moas having been seen, within living memory, stalking over the neighbouring mountains. Nor can I trespass on your patience any longer with remarks upon the fauna and flora of this part of New Zealand. ”