H.—29

1886. NEW ZEALAND.

NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE, 1885-86 (EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Meetings of the Board were held on the 18th August, 1885, and the Bth February, 1886. The members who retired in conformity with clause 6 of the Act were: The Hon. Mr. Waterhouse, the Hon. Mr. Mantcll, and Mr. Travers, all of whom were reappointed by His Excellency as Governors of the institute. The elected members of the Board for the current year arc : Mr. McKcrrow, Mr. Masked, and Dr. Hutchinson. There is at present one vacancy in the roll of honorary members, owing to the death during the past year of Dr. Carpenter. The members now belonging to the institute are : Honorary members, 29. Ordinary members: Auckland Institute, 299; Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 140; Wellington Philosophical Society, 256; Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 135; Nelson Philosophical Society, 100; Westland Institute, 77 ; Otago Institute, 161; Southland Institute, 70 : making a total of 1,267. The volumes of Transactions now in stock are: Vol. I. (second edition), 390; Vol. V., 42; Vol. VI., 43; Vol. VII., 140; Vol. IX., 141; Vol. X., 176; Vol. XL, 55; Vol. XII., 62; Vol. XIII., 63; Vol. XIV., 85; Vol. XV., 197; Vol. XVI., 220; Vol. XVII., 250; Vol. XVIII., not yet fully distributed. In May, 1885, the following memorandum of a proposed change in the form of publication was considered by the Board, and copies were distributed to the various affiliated societies: — " I. That each society be left to publish its own proceedings in pamphlet-form or otherwise. The proceedings to comprise :1. Minutes of meetings. 2. Abstracts of papers or short papers in full. 3. Beports on discussions. "Each society publishing in pamphlet-form to be expected to exchange liberally with other incorporated societies. "Papers published at length, or in exhaustive abstract, need not be sent to the Board for republication in the Transactions, unless they require fuller publication with illustration. "11. The Board to publish transactions and memoirs only, namely: 1. An annual demyoctavo volume as at present, containing miscellaneous papers and general contributions, that require only slight illustrations, or do not form a whole or the definite part of a complete memoir or monograph on any subject. The octavo volume to be called Transactions, and to be distributed free, as at present, to all members of the institute. 2. A quarto volume of special memoirs and monographs that require full illustration, to be published in parts from time to time as funds permit. Authors to have an opportunity of revising the press and illustrations in the case of the quarto memoirs. The distribution of the memoirs to be on the following terms: To members of the institute (exclusive of honorary members, who will get them free) at half cost-price, or by compounding by a single payment to the institute, such compounders to be called Fellows of the institute. "That not more than one-fourth of the parliametary grant be in any year devoted to publishing memoirs, unless in the case of an extra grant being specially made for such purpose." As a step towards the adoption of this arrangement, a fresh agreement was entered into with the publishers on the Bth February, 1886, whereby they undertake the entire responsibility of placing the annual volume before the scientific public in Europe and America, and take half the risk incurred in printing the volumes required, to meet the extra demand thus created. Under this contract the printing of Vol. XVIII. was commenced in March and completed towards the end of May.