A GEOLOGICAL HOTCH-POTCH

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 181, 27 July 1871, Page 3

A GEOLOGICAL HOTCH-POTCH

The "Greymouth Star" has the following morceau: — Dr. Hector was delivering one of his interesting and able lectures on geology the other day at Greymouth. Of course in such a place he merged into the subject of gold ; aud he explained that " gold was a highly metalliferous substance, which was always found, when not found anywhere else in quartzose formations traversing palaeozonic laminated schists, near eruptive or igneous oolites, but sometimes aqueous, and in Silurian sedimentary accumulations in a depressed state of metamorphosis." After descanting on the peculiarities of the banks of the Grey River, he was about to sit down when a gentleman respectfully asked whether Dr. Hector had any theory of his own as to the cause and origin of gold. Passing the palm of his right hand from the left to the right side of hisxthoughtful brow, the lecturer said he believed he had. He proceeded to say that in the remote antiquity of past ages — in the cycles of revolving centuries, when truth had merged into fable, and fable, by the process of algebraical ratiocination, had returned to its original orbit of truth, a report had gained currency of a description of goose which laid golden eggs. If a goose, then why not some other bird ? It was believed by the philosophers and savans, and he believed it also himself, that quartz was nothing else than enormous agglomerations of the feathers (highly crystallised) of birds of a race now extinct. This might be shown by placing a piece of quartz about the size of a water carafie under a delicate microscope, with a three and threequarter iuch object glass, when something as like feathers as anything else might be distinctly noticed. If he might venture a conjecture in the presence of so enlightened an audience, he would say that gold was the broken and dispersed metalliferised yolks of the ancient moa. He hoped he should not be considered guilty of committing the vulgarity of making a pun, but he asked was there anything moa likely. A gentleman would like to know whether Dr. Hector thought the moon had anything to do with ,the production of gold. Dr. Hector thought not, and instanced the case of the Moonlight, which was altogether a wild conjecture. Another gentleman thought the origin of gold might be traced to the sun ; but the lecturer could not coincide with this theory, and referred to the Sunrisa The lecturer having asked to be supplied with a glass of whisky, sat down.

Revision of the Bible. — A proposition is before the present Parliament to give effect to the recommendation of the Ritual Commissioners, by which no fewer than 290 verses are proposed to be omitted from the Book of Genesis alone, as either unfit, or useless to be read by a clergyman to his congregation. In the rest of the Pentateuch, the number of verses proposed to be omitted is still larger. In Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, whole chapters are to be dispensed with. Nearly the entirety of the first Book of Chronicles is to be passed over, and in the second Book many scores of verses are to be left out. Some twt lye or fourteen chapters, besides many verses, are struck out in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Job. In Proverbs, Isaiah, ahd Jeremiah, the omissions bid fare to equal those from the Pentateuch, while the Song of Soloman is, in decency, put out of flight. All the Book of Lamentations is consigned to oblivion, and in Ezekiel the pruningknife is used with such liberality, that one wonders bow much remains. Quite half Hosea is cancelled, and none of the minor prophets escape ; such are the sweeping emendations made by the scholars at Westminster. The worki en aeetaeoa 1, 2, and 3, of the Clutfaa railway are proceeding rapidly, neatly 250 men .are heing emidored. On the Port Chalmers also the works are being pushed oa rapidly forward, from 300 to 400 men beinr«>natantly at work. At the usual meeting -of the Waste J*nd Board held on the 19th inst. Mr. Robert Ryan f Secretary to the Ophir School Committee, requested that two acres be surveyed for a recreation ground, and vested in that Committe*. The application was declined.