7. “On Weather, Health, and Forests in Mauritius,” by Dr. Meldrum.

The President pointed out that this bore immediately on the question of forest conservation in New Zealand. He gave a short description of the damage done by the destruction of our forests, which brought about floods of a most disastrous kind.

Dr. Hutchinson, who had recently arrived from the Sandwich Islands, stated that there, in consequence of the wholesale destruction of the forests, floods had occurred doing great injury. The water rushed down the bare hills and through the valleys, and then followed a long drought and the ground became baked, as there was no vegetation left to hold the moisture of the previous rain. He was glad to say that the settlers had at last seen the necessity of forest conservation and great improvement was taking place.