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Rh Auckland, Wellington, and Foveaux Strait. It was not to be supposed that the difference of a few feet in altitude could influence the development of the body to the extent pointed out by Dr. Newman. When one knows to what privations and hardships explorers miners and others are often exposed in this country, and what endurance they show, it can hardly be said that there is any deficiency of vigour in New Zealand. Animals thrive well here on what they could scarcely live on in England. Vegetable life also flourishes; and there is nothing to indicate the absence of phosphates. If there was such a want, it was to be regretted more in an agricultural point of view, not, he thought, as regards mental development. The author should have produced facts in support of such sweeping statements.

Captain G. Mair said that, having been born in New Zealand, and having been actively engaged in company with other New Zealanders, he could speak from experience on the subject, and he did not agree with the author. But to make a sound inference, he thought it better to quote the aboriginal inhabitants, who, as a race, have been longer exposed to the influences of the climate, and who subsisted on very insufficient and defective food as compared with the Europeans; yet among them the average height and weight is quite equal to that of English-born persons, and the extremes are quite as great. He had seen one Native measuring 6 feet 6 inches in height, and 67 inches round the chest. The children and grand-children were, so far as his experience went, as fine, mentally and physically, as their ancestors. With regard to the healthiness of New Zealand, he could refer to the carefully-prepared army statistics, which showed that in every 1,000 men in England, 46 are in Hospital, but only 22 in New Zealand out of the same number. In the course of further interesting remarks, Captain Mair mentioned the occurrence of goître, or "Derbyshire neck," among the Urewera tribe.

Mr. Carruthers said that, from experience in public works, he could compare the work done by the New Zealand navvy with that done in England by similar men, and he found that the former did 30 per cent. more work than the latter, which was certainly opposed to the author's theory.

Mr. J. Young considered it unfair to put New Zealand on its trial at the present time, as it was a very young Colony. He said that, if we go to older Colonies, we find from experience facts quite the opposite to those mentioned by Dr. Newman. He referred to Mr. Hull's papers on the vital statistics of Tasmania, where the climate is similar to that of New Zealand. Mentally, the boys in Tasmania are quite equal to any boys in the world. They hold their own against all comers. They are also quite equal physically. No whaling captain will engage Europeans for his crew when he can get native-born men, as the latter, they assert, have greater endurance. After considerable colonial experience, he had arrived at very different conclusions on the subject from those of Dr. Newman.

Dr. Newman, in reply, said he was very sorry he could not obtain children's brains, as Mr. Travers had suggested, to determine the amount of phosphate they contained. He objected to Mr. Travers's statistics regarding atmospheric pressure being taken in preference to his own, as he had made his deductions from a much larger series of observations than Mr. Travers had. Nothing, he considered, had been said to prove that New Zealand was particularly healthy. As to saying that it is the healthiest part of the world, it is so said of almost every country; but statistics of mortality in towns in New Zealand show that the death-rate is higher than the death-rate of London and other large cities in England. What Captain Mair said about the troops could hardly be taken as evidence against him, as certain diseases were not then introduced into New Zealand. The men were only here for a short time, and were just off a long sea voyage. With