Fifth Meeting. 30th October, 1876.
His Honour Mr. Justice Gillies, President, in the chair.
New Members.—T. Broham, Rev. T. Buddle.
The nomination for the election of honorary members of the New Zealand Institute was made in accordance with Statute IV.
Mr. T. Kirk, F.L.S., was chosen to vote in the election of the Board of Governors for the ensuing year, in accordance with Clause 7 of the New Zealand Institute Act.
1. The President spoke at some length on Dr. Wallis's paper on "Savage and Barbaric Survivals in Marriage," read at the last meeting. He expressed the thanks of the Society to Dr. Wallis for bringing the subject up, although it was rather hackneyed, and woman's rights in these days were often more spoken of than her duties. He quite agreed with Dr. Wallis, that married women suffered from great legal disabilities, but he could not consider these disabilities to be "savage and barbaric survivals." They were rather to be attributed to the fact that marriage had been made a religious ceremony, and that, consequently, customs had become incorporated with it which had not existed in any shape whatever in the earlier ages. The paper read by Dr. Wallis appeared to him to be largely based on an article which recently appeared in the Westminster Review. Unfortunately, however, Dr. Wallis had accepted as facts statements made by this writer which were no facts at all. He then took exception to the account given by Dr. Wallis of marriage among the Romans, and briefly touched on several of the customs considered by Dr. Wallis to be survivals.
2. Mr. J. A. Pond severely criticised the paper read at the last meeting by Mr. Hay, "On Lime as a Fertiliser." He stated that a large number of chemical points had been brought up in the paper, the majority of which were treated in an entirely erroneous manner. To prove this, he had only to quote certain passages referring to the chemical composition of various soils and manures, the contradictory statements attending the use and presence of sulphuric acid, and the error of classifying clay, flint, magnesia, and iron as "salts." He trusted that, in future, the Council of the Society would not receive papers so loosely written and so radically erroneous.
3. "Stray Thoughts on Mahori or Maori Migrations," by R. C. Barstow. (Transactions, p. 229.)
Sixth Meeting. 27th November, 1876.
T. Heale in the chair.
New Members.—W. Cameron, J. B. Russell, T. Weston.
The Chairman reviewed at some length the progress made by the Society during the year, and its present prospects; after which, the papers read at the preceding meeting were discussed.
1. "Notes on Quartz Crushing at the Thames," by J. Goodall, C.E. (Transactions, p. 209.)
2. "On the Geology of Northern Hawke Bay," by S. Percy Smith.
