Philosophical Institute of Canterbury.
Special Meeting: 20th April, 1910.

Present: Mr. R. M. Laing (President), in the chair, and eighty others.

The President explained that the meeting had been called to give members an opportunity of hearing a paper by Professor Bickerton on a vital point of his theory, and to allow of full discussion thereon. He gave a brief historical account of Professor Bickerton's efforts to lay his theory before the scientific world, and a summary of its leading features, and said that if it were true it would establish a new cosmogony.

Professor Bickerton then read the paper, entitled “Recent Evidence in favour of the Existence of the Third Body.”

The paper was criticized by Drs. Farr and Evans, and by Mr. E. G. Hogg, who drew attention to the discrepancies between the recent spectroscopic observations and the predictions made by Professor Bickerton as deduced from his theory.

Professor Bickerton replied as occasion demanded.

At the conclusion of the discussion a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Professor Bickerton for his paper.