REVIEW.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5360, 1 June 1878, Page 2

REVIEW.

“Transactions and Proceedings op the New Zealand Institute,” vol. x., 1877. All the members of J the New Zealand Institute will hail with pleasure the appearance of this capital volume. It is iu every way excellent. Though several of the monographs are couched in extremely technical language; they are but few in number, the majority being written in such plain language that every fairly well educated man cau read them with pleasure and profit. There are seventyeight papers, besides several abstracts, and much other matter of interest. From start to finish the volume is interesting, its contents varied and very valuable. As a whole, the papers are excellent, notably those by Dr. Hector, and Messrs. Stack, Barnes, Higginson, Carruthers, Buchanan, Buller, Haast, Kirk, W. Skey, and others. A few, however, are, below the level of the rest, and we cannot help thinking that, as the. volume is now so bulky, it would be well if the Governors exercised their right of selection freely. Such excisions would decidedly raise the tone of the volume, and would do good by stimulating contributors to perform greater deeds. A moderate use, of the pruning knife would have improved even this good collection. To general readers the papers classed under the head “ Miscellaneous” will prove interesting. The first of these is by Mr. Cockburn Hood, “New Zealand a Post-Glacial Centre of Creation.” Mr. Cockburn Hood's paper is a very curious one. He believes in a time when all plants and animals were killed on all but a narrow ring round the earth, by a great extension of the Arctic aod Antarctic Paleobrystio seas. He believes that New Zealand was frozen so that all life therein died, and ho advances the theory that the moas, kakapos, kiwis, wekas, and such like things were created again in a sort of second purified Garden of Eden, without an Adam.or Eve, without a beguiling serpent, and without forbidden fruit. One may wonder why such a paper was admitted; until one regards the collection of essays as an organic whole, and then : its special fitness appears. It is what anatomists call a “rudiment,” and may serve to show the parentage of the rest. Anatomists say that certain structures iu each of us show our descent from some lower form, and hence these rudiments are viewed by them with great interest. Mr. G. Hood’s paperds just such a “ rudiment” in the growth of scipntific thought in this book. It should : not be sneered at as antiquated or effete, for it enables us to trace some part of the development of that scientific culture which marks some of the other essays. The next paper is by Mr. Carruthers, our late Eugineef-iu-Chief, and is an able attack on “Mill’s Fourth Fundamental Theorem Respecting Capital.” It is well worth ’ reading. Mr. Stewart, 0.E., touches on a subject of immense importance to the in-; habitants of these islands, viz., “ Is New Zealand Sinking orßising?” His paper, which treats of a part;of the subject, is sketchy and unsatisfying. Evidence from elsewhere seems to show that .though parts of these islands are rising, others are sinking. The fourth is an address by Dr. Haast; - The professor appears to have been ignorant, until very recently, of a well-known and long since explained fact—that one bank of a river, is usually steeper than., another. His charming naivete, the artless confession of innocence in his explanation, must have not a little amused his hearers. In the remainder of the address he describes some newly discovered rook-paintings.- . Some of these pictures are very quaint, aud are perhaps rivalled iu that quality by the professor’s attempt to decipher their moaniug. The Rev. James W. Stack" supplies a “ Sketch of , the Traditionary History of the South Island Maoris.’’ |We heartily wish there were more clergymen like the reverend gentleman, who would take the trouble to collect Maori legends, which are of the intensest interest, and which are rapidly being forgotten. All historians and travellers greatly deplore the fanatic ignorance which caused the Spanish priests to. overthrow and destroy all the idols, all the other symbols of worship of the old Peruvian and Mexican ; religious. How eagerly do modern students desire to know more of Vuoub Capix, of the religion of the Incas, of the sacrifice of men, of the meaning of ancient religious hieroglyphics ; but the missionaries for generations worked hard to- destroy all of them. Our missionaries.! have heard these acts : of vandalism condemned, yet they have done the same thing.. -Ask any old New Zealand missionary any question about the old Maori religion, he will, often at least, be unable to answer it; What has any missionary told us of the old Maori worship of the great god lo ? What has any missionary told us of the sacred rites practised by the old tohungas ? Yet it is by their religion, by their karakias, by their mythology, that we may hope to trace their ancestry. Mr. Stack’s ; paper is of great value, and we sincerely hope that he will continue the good work he has begun, and ho may rest assurred .that his works will be studied with great care, not only by educated men here, but will be read and appreciated by all students of the work begun and led by Herbert Spencer, Sir John Lubbock, Tyler, Me Dennan, and many others. I . _! Mr. Coleuso starts a carious subject for discussion. He' believes that Captain Cook did not take possession of New Zealand on the 13th November, 1769, but at a somewhat earlier date. The subject is: interesting, but as the ordinary limits of an article have been , reached the further notice of these papers will be resumed upon an early occasion.