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First Annual Report by the Governors of the New Zealand Institute.
The first meeting of the Governors for the transaction of business was held on the 24th January, 1868, and since then on the following dates :— 12th and 25th February, 10th June, 22nd October, 2nd November, 1868; and 14th May, 1869.
The rules which the Governors are empowered to make under the Act of Incorporation were framed and published in the New Zealand Gazette, on 9th March, 1868, as required by law.
An arrangement has been made with the Government with respect to the custody of the Museum and Laboratory, and although it was not considered advisable that the present buildings, which are of a character that will require constant repair, should be conveyed in the terms of the Act, the management of the collection is entirely in the hands of the Governors, who have therefore power to make the necessary exchanges and distribution of duplicates, for the purpose of enriching other Museums in the colony.
The Manager's Report on the Museum and Laboratory, hereto appended, shows that the state of the Institute is satisfactory.
The endowment voted by the Legislature for 1867–8 was applied by Government towards defraying the building charges, as there were at that time no Incorporated Societies, and the Institute property then belonged wholly to Government.
The endowment for 1868–9, of £500, was applied in the manner shown in the appended accounts.
The largest item is the expense of printing the Transactions for the year; the size of the volume being nearly doubled by the addition of the New Zealand Exhibition Essays, which were placed at the disposal of the Governors by the Colonial Government for publication.
The volume was issued in May last, and contains 400 pages of print and thirteen illustrations. A copy of the volume has been distributed to each member of the affiliated Societies, 270 in number; 25 copies have been presented to public libraries in New Zealand; 50 presentation copies have been distributed in England and other countries, including the colonies; 100 copies have been allotted for sale at 15s. each; and the remainder of the edition of 500 copies has been reserved to complete the sets of future members.
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Various sums have been expended in procuring collections of specimens useful for exchange, and the amount of £51 6s. has been granted in aid of the Museum funds of affiliated Societies, while a balance of £33 9s. 8d. remains in the hands of the Treasurer.
Four Societies were granted incorporation on the following dates:—
| Date. | No. of Mem. | |
|---|---|---|
| Wellington Philosophical Society. | 10th June, 1868. | 104 |
| Auckland Institute | " | 68 |
| Philosophical Institute of Canterbury | 22nd Oct., 1868. | 57 |
| Weetland Naturalists' and Acclimatization Society | " | 29 |
In March, 1868, one of the first Governors, the Hon. Mr. W. B. D. Mantell, retired from the Board to allow of the appointment of the Manager as a Governor, with the view of facilitating business.
In accordance with the Act, the following Governors retired from the Board, but were re-nominated, viz.:—Sir David Monro, A. Ludlam, Esq., J. E. FitzGerald, Esq.
Notices were received from the Wellington Philosophical Society on 3rd November, 1868, and the Auckland Institute on 5th January, 1869, that they had elected, respectively, J. C. Crawford, Esq., and Dr. D. Pollen, to be Governors according to the Act.
The other two Societies having joined at too late a period of the year to permit the provision of the Act being carried out, they are not represented at the Board during this year. Seven meetings were held during the Session of the Assembly of 1868, in the Colonial Museum, at which addresses and lectures were delivered by the following gentlemen :—His Excellency Sir G. F. Bowen, Mr. FitzGerald, Hon. Mr. Mantell, Mr. Travers, Dr. Hector, and Mr. Wakefield.
D. Monro
, Chairman.