NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 661, 3 December 1851, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY.

A meeting of the members of this Society was held on Friday evening last, the 28th mstant, in the Council Room, his Excelnnt? h S, - r Tu eorge Gre J’ President, m the chair. The meeting was very numerously attended, and considerable interest was exhibited in consequence of the report that gold had been found in the Upper Hutt district.

The following gentlemen were elected members of the Society Rev. R. Taylor, M.A., Wanganui: Mr. V. Smith ; Mr. J Roy, G.E. Lieut. Paul, 65th Regt., was proposed for election.

The following donations were made to the Society:—A collection of ores and minerals from Adelaide, South .Australia, by Welfare; specimens of ores, &c., chiefly from Cornwall, by Mr. G. Hart • a specimen of the Trochus Imperialis, from Kapiti by Captain Deck; a collection of fossil shells, from Wairarapa, by Mr. S. E. Grimstone ; and an engraving of the Moko (Notornis Mantellii) by Mr. W. Mantel!. The Secretary announced that the Council had purchased from W. Mantell, Esq., his cabinet of minerals, containing upwards of 500 specimens, for the sum of fifty pounds, and that it had been deposited in tne house which the Society was permitted to occupy for a Library and'Museum.

The Secretary read a correspondence from the Government on the subject of an alleged discovery of gold at Otago, and accompanying three specimens of quartz. The following is Dr. Ralph’s reply to the commu; nication:—

-' n. Zealand Society, Wellington, 27th November, 1851. re . P ly to your letter, which I have this day received, accompanied with 3 specimens of Quartz Rock from the Otago district supposed to be auriferous, I beg to state that 1 have examined portions of the same both te, y anf l in company with two members of the New Zealand Society, and have not succeed • ed in detecting Gold in them.

Being desirous of making as careful a" examination as possible, I have, »pi. the analysis 01 the Mineral, made experiments IR ? e r PUMIy ° fthe ,ests 1 , by means of them readily detect about the 200th part of a grain of Gold. 1 an ? . una ole to obtain even a trace of the metal in the specimens which have been transmittea.

I have the honor to remain, Sir, Your Obdt. Servant, Tuos. S. Ralph, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary cr£ tarj. Wellington. ’ The specimens from the Hutt were also tested at the meeting, but not the slightest trace of gold was perceptible. The Secretary announced that a book would be kept, in which members were invited to insert the names of such works as they wished to recommend to be purchased for the Library. The meeting then adjourned.