oe 14 y RSR at EEE te TR EE fut Spain SEE = fords Hey nt * ASE oe —— MÉMOIRES ET CONS SRE NAS DE LA SOCIETE ROYALE DU CANADA POUR LES ANNÉES 1882 ET 18838. TOME I. MONTREAL: DAWSON FRÈRES, LIBRAIRES-ÉDITEURS. 1883. PROCEEDINGS AND RIRANSACTIONS OF THE ONE SO CAEN Yi CANADA FOR THE YEARS 1882 AND 18883. VOLUME I EVN PAD > ANT UE: MONTREAL : DAWSON BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 1883. +: ’ à am Enrerep according to Act of Parliament in the year 1884 in the Office of the Minister bites ture à by Dawson Brorurs, for the RoyaL Socagry. > | epee = Pb Ae Ex. The committee on publication named in June last by the Council of the Royan SOCIETY OF CANADA have, in the present volume, brought together, in addition to the PROCEEDINGS of the Society for its first two sessions—under the title of TRANSACTIONS—a collection of papers and abstracts of papers read or presented to the several sections of the Society at these meetings. The selection of the papers to be thus published was made by committees named for that purpose by the several sections, although, as will be seen by comparing the recommendations of these sectional committees given in the Proceedings with the Table of Contents of this volume, some of the papers thus recom- mended do not appear, haying been, for various reasons, withheld by their authors. With regard to several of these papers here published it should be said that they were printed while their authors were absent in remote parts of the country, in consequence of which some typographical errors have escaped correction in the text, and are noted in a list of Errata. The difficulties attendant on the printing and the illustrating for the first time of a work of this kind and magnitude are many a consideration that may help to excuse some defects in the execution of the task, for which the committee claim the indulgence of the reader, trusting that the volumes which, it is hoped, will succeed this, may be freer from minor errors. The committee deem it proper to call attention to the fact that the type, the paper, and illustrations of this volume, have all been made in the country. Montreal, December, 1883. NE ME TR ALT. XIII. XIV. XVI. ITI. DABBECOFMSONTE NWS. PROCEEDINGS. PAGE PROCEDE Sif Ole UBS Dienst s cots nn ene et eee casser Ocean e eue sec eee creteeecrce If, EV OCCCHLME Si OTL SERRE BOG sce ona aaah Tae CE come eo oro oleae alr alae siete iiss AX VII. TRANSACTIONS. SECTION I. 1882. Nos quatre historiens modernes, Bibaud, Garneau, Ferland, Faillon, par J. M. LEMOrNe®. . Discours dinauguration, par FAUCHER DE ST. MAURICE..................,.............. Quelques scènes d'une comédie inédite, par F. G. MARCHAND .............................. ROMATES CONAAIENNES SNOT, TavABBE) | WAIN GUN er eee esse eee ere echec Les interprètes du temps de Champlain, par B. SULTE ..................................e Ibe bisa qranip Ue Teall Doeste) DUREE MAS RE Re . Etude sur les commencements de la poésie francaise au Canada, par P. J.O. CHAUVEAU. Notre passé littéraire et nos deux historiens, par L'ABBÉ CASGRAIN ............,........... Pvetarbrancen(noéste) yateip Wk V8l5 RÉGEEDDE Goo naneeseanaon codobesbo pacbodsed seesnoebabbened Notice sur les fondateurs de Montréal, par 1) ABBE VERREAU................., ceeeeeee ces 1883. De Ainavabes iin (Chiral, jar Ale AMEILENTIOINE 20-20 eee Dee. ce ecce Donselureotten nana AUCERRIDEN D EMAURICE nee creme eee cn PET PUSUMALES ICO NUS DOME ABB KNAW GLASS nec be men n eee de rem oscl eee ee ee Notre histoire—à la mémoire de F. X. Garneau, (poésie) —par L. H. FRECHEYTE...... Desimemersseieneurs ICRA DUB SUITE eee eee ee ere cesse. Un bonheur en attire un autre,—comédie entun acte, par K. G. MARCHAND... SECTION IT. 1882. PAT OUR PACAP ESS DYEDANTET AW LESOM: nee met savdeaviw armures guenes donoas sacs oes On the Establishment of Free Public Libraries in Canada, by ALPHEUS TODD........…. Language and Conquest—A Retrospect and a Forecast—by JOHN READE............... 13 17 Ii. TV V. VAL. VIT. VILL. IX. XI. AIT. XIII. SON XV. XVI. XVIT. XXI. TABLE OF CONTENTS. SECTION #11—Continued. 1885. Pre-Aryan American Man, by DANIEL WILSON...........................,............0. SomeOld Horts by TheNSe D I IG SOURUN OTe eee ee re E-Ce-- The Literature of French Canada, by JOHN LESPERANCE................................... A Problem of Visual Perception, by J. CLARK MURRAY..................................... The Nomenclature of the Laws of Association, by J. CLARK MURRAY.................... An Addition to the Logical Square of Opposition, by J. CLARK MURRAY............... SECTION IIT. 1882. The Relations of the Natural Sciences ; Inaugural Address, by T. STERRY HUNT...... On the Law of Facility of Error, etc., by CHARLES CARPMAEL.................. On an Application af a Special Determinant, by J. B. CHERRIMAN........................ The Motion of a Chain on a Fixed Plane Curve, by J. B. CHERRIMAN................... Note on the Bishop’s Move in Chess, by J. B. CHERRIMAN................................. On the Measurement of the Resistance of Electrolytes, by J. G. MACGREGOR............. Note on Molecular Contraction in Natural Sulphids, by E. J. CHAPMAN ...... Facapeneee Symmetrical Investigation of the Curvatures of Surfaces, by ALEX. JOHNSON... Note on Zinc: Sulplid. by DHOS MACHARIGANE).cesseses eee eee eee 1883. On the Reduction of Sulphate of Soda by Carbon, by THos. MACFARLANE............... On some Experimemts showing that the Electromotive Force in Polarization is Inde- pendent of the Difference of Potential of the Electrodes, by J. G. MACGREGOR.. Noteton Spectroscopic: Scales: by En J. (CHAPMANG eee eee ee On Cryptomorphism in its relation to Classification and Mineral Types, by E. J. CHAPMAN. Sur la mesure des distances terrestres par des observations astronomiques, par E. DEVILLE. On the Application of Hydriodic Acid as a Blowpipe Reagent (with four plates), by E. HER ANIET 2 20e esse sense nbeesesenee ee eee ee Den Ce ee conate On a Mechanical Means of making a Sidereal Clock show Mean Time, by N.F. Dupuis. On some Minerals new to Canada, by B. J. HARRINGTON...........4 esse cesser. Reports on the Transit of Venus of December 6th, 1882, as follows : The Preparations at Montreal, by ALEXANDER JOHNSON .......................... General Report by CHARLES CARPMAEL ......... 0.0... coneseccesensecacness Observations at Winnipeg, by PROF. MCLEOD....... 0.0.0.0... sscsee seen conceerse ees Observations ut Kingston, by PROF. WILLIAMSON..................,...........4... Obseruaronsiat Covoure. by A IR ED ATNE ee cr see Observations at Obfawas YEN ED TA nee eee le ee ee sea XXIV. On the Transition Resistance to the Electric Current, etc., by J. G. MACGREGOR.. .... PAGE 35 71 81 89 91 95 XII. TABLE OF CONTENTS. LIT. SECTION IV. 1882. PAGE On the Quebec Group in Geology (with wood-cut) by À. R. C. SELWYN................... 1 On the Cretaceous ond Tertiary Floras of British Columbia and the North West Terri- Re CRATE, IALES) by I Wc, DAWSON: 2 Fran henaeen ane ae sm cen taste aise 15 On the Importance of Economising and Preserving our Forests, by W.SA6NDERS........ 35 On a General Section from the Laurentian Axis to the Rocky Mountains, (with a OOA=CUL) BOY A Goan ise 1D) ANS ONE rem names senc Dies eee eco etes hee 39 Notes on the Distribution of Northern, Southern and Saline Plants in Canada, by JOUN INUA CO UNE recente Re ne tete ana 45 Notes on the Birds of Hudson’s Bay, by ROBERT BELL.........:............................. 49 On the Glaciation of Newfoundland, by ATEx. MURRAY.........................,,,......... 55) On the Introduction and Dissemination of Noxious Insects, by W.SAUNDERS.........+++ fa On the Lower Cretaceous Rocks of British Columbia, by J. K.WHITEAVES................. 81 Illustrations of the Fauna of the St. John Group, (with two plates), by @. F. MATTHEW. 87 On some supposed Annelid Tracks from the Gaspé Sandstones, (with two plates), by J. ERR VEEULIDEVA VIDS Remco cc ter tera eon dec ae MON DD BE CS eo CE D PC EE 109 OnE Classiicniiom Of Grinoras OYE Bi. dle) © EAP MAN eee ce 113 1883. On the Geology of Lake Superior, by À. R. ©. SELWYN...........................,,..... ln On the Influence of Sex upon the Hybrids among Fruits, by W. NAUNDERRS............... 123 On the Flora of the Gaspé Peninsula, by JOHN MACOUN................................ 127 On the Folding of the Carboniferous Strata in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. by Aiea GG PTEN IR Encres meer -cee recense els cos tee 137 On the Triassic of the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia, by G.M. Dawson....... 148 On a Method of distinguishing Lacustrine from Marine Deposits, by G. F. MATTHEW. 174 me Votesion OancainmeLolypetala, DY JOHN MACOUMNerencccs- cee dace woe Gesesnioee scene cce sa anee 151 Causes of the Fertility of the Land in the Canadian North West, by ROBERT BELL... 157 . Note sur la Géologie du Lac St. Jean, par WV ABBE J. C. K. LAFLAMME.................. 163 The Geological History of Serpentines, including Notes on Pre-Cambrian Rocks, by T. SOUR Weel IN TR nes ie dors en same rnnene es nes ces nee ve sai@olncesemenestes 165 . A Historical Account of the Taconic Question in Geology, with a Discussion of the Rela- tions of the Taconian Series to the older Crystalline and to the Cambrian Rocks, IPE ee OU ales SER IR Ya ELUIN DSc eee searsacee asl eenesne sais cee cake se tie Come re Nosed ee coees 217 Illustrations of the Fauna of the St. John Group, (Supplement), by G. F. MATTHEW... 271 NOTES AND ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS IN SECTION IV. On the Physical and Geological History of the St. John River, N.B., by L. N. BAILEY. 281 On some Ferruginous Concretions by D. HONEYMAN............................ ........... 285 On Erosion from Coast-Ice and Floating Ice in the Baie des Chaleurs, by R. CHALMERS. 285 On a Specimen of the Inferior Maxilla of Phoca Groenlandica, by J. A. GRANT....... 286 VE TABLE OF CONTENTS. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. SECTION III. Four plates in chromolithography, to illustrate Dr. HAANELS paper on Blowpipe Analysis ; (at the end of the section.) SECTION IV. One wood-cut with Dr. SELWYN’s paper on the Quebec Group ; (with the text.) Eight lithographed plates to illustrate Dr. J. W. Dawson’s paper on Fossil Floras ; (at the end of the section.) One wood-cut with Dr. G. M. Dawson’s General Section, etc. ; (with the text.) Two lithographed plates to illustrate Mr. G. F. MarrHEw’s paper on the Fauna of the St. John Group ; (at the end of the section.) Two heliotype plates to illustrate Mr. J. F. WuITEAVES paper on Annelid Tracks ; (at the end of the section.) ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. ROC hey DINGS MOT 1582: ‘ORGANIZATION OF THE SOCIETY. In accordance with circulars setting forth the time and place of meeting of the Royal Society for the promotion of Literature and Science in the Dominion of Canada, the members assembled in the railway committee room, Parliament Building, Ottawa, at ten o’clock in the morning, on Thursday, twenty-fifth May, 1882. The whole of the members of the Provisional Council were present, with the exception of Mr. Goldwin Smith, then absent in England. Those whose names are given below constituted the officers for the organization and the first session of the Society :— PRESIDENT, J. W. Dawson, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S. Vice-PResIDENT, Hon. P. J. O. Chauveau, LL.D., Docteur és Lettres. PRESIDENTS OF SECTIONS. Sect. I.— French Literature, History, and Allied Subjects. J. M. LeMoine, Membre de la Société Américaine de France. Faucher de St. Maurice, M.P., Membre de la Société des Gens de Lettres de France. Sect. II —English Literature, History and Allied Subjects. Daniel Wilson, LL.D., F.R.S.E. Goldwin Smith, M.A. Sect. IIT.— Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences. T. Sterry Hunt, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S. Charles Carpmael, M.A. Sect. IV.—Geological and Biological Sciences. A. R. C. Selwyn, LL.D., F.R.S. George Lawson, Ph.D., LL.D. Honorary Secretary —J, G. Bourinot, F.S.S. Pro, 1882. a, IT. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. The Honorary Secretary then read the following Report of the Provisional Council. By invitation of His Excellency the Governor-General a meeting of a few gentlemen designated by him as provisional officers of the proposed organization was held in Montreal on December 29th and 30th, 1881, when a memorandum from His Excellency relating to the formation of an Institute, Academy, or Society for the promotion of Literature and Science in the Dominion of Canada, was read and considered. It was then unanimously decided to suggest to His Excellency a provisional basis for the constitution of such Society ; which, with certain modifications introduced in subsequent discussion, stands as follows : 1. That the title be “The Royal Society of Canada for the promotion of Literature and Science within the Dominion” ; and that a memorial be addressed to Her Majesty the Queen asking her sanction to the said title. 2. That the members be persons resident in the Dominion of Canada or in Newfoundland, who have published original works or memoirs of merit or have rendered eminent services to Literature or to Science, : 3. That the Society consist of two departments, representing Literature and Science respectively, divided into sections, of which the four following shall be at present constituted, with power to subdivide with the consent of the Council. 1. French Literature with History, Archeology, &c. 2. English Literature with History, Archeology, &c. < 3. Mathematical, Chemical and Physical Sciences. 4. Geological and Biological Sciences. That the number of members in each section be limited to twenty. 4, That the original members be nominated by His Excellency the Governor-General, and that subsequently proposals for election of new members may be made to the Council by any three members, of whom at least two shall belong to the section to which the candidate desires to be assigned, the reasons of the proposal being stated in writing. Such proposal shall be referred to the said section for any representation it may think fit to make. On the approval of the section the Council may submit the proposed name to be ballotted for at any regular meeting of the Society. In each section the Presidents, or President and Vice-President, with such other members as may be appointed by the section, shall constitute a committee to report on such applications, and at least three months shall elapse between the proposal of a name to the Council and the ballot thereon. 5. That the officers of the Society shall be a President and Vice-President, with an Honorary Secretary and a Treasurer, to be elected by the whole Society ; besides a President and Vice-President of each section, to be elected by the section. These elections to be annual. That the officers so elected shall constitute the Council of the Society, and that the officers nomin- ated by His Excellency for the first meeting shall hold office during that meeting. That a paid Assistant-Secretary may, if necessary, be employed by the Council. 6. That the first meeting of the Society shall be held at such time and place as His Excellency the Governor-General may appoint; that the headquarters of the Society shall be in Ottawa; and that it shall hold at least one general meeting annually, at such times and places as by bye-luw or other- wise it may determine. 7. That the title of any Paper, Memoir or other production, by a member, intended to be read at a meeting of the Society, shall be submitted, together with an abstract of its contents, to the Council, through the Secretary, previous to the meeting at which it is to be read. On its approval, each such communication shall be assigned to the section to which it belongs, and having been therein read and discussed, shall be submitted to the committee of the section, and on report of said committee, may, PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. : IT. by vote of the section, be recommended to the Council for publication, either entire or in abstract. Communications by persons not members of the Society may be submitted by members on the same conditions with their own productions. 8. That the Society shall, for its ordinary business, meet in general session, and, for the reading and discussion of papers and other sectional business, shall meet in sections. The pubiie may be admitted to all except business meetings. 9, That the advice and assistance of the Society shall at all times be at the disposal of the Govern- ment of the Dominion in all matters which may be within the scope of the Society’s functions. 10. That His Excellency the Governor-General be respectfully requested to accept the position of Patron and Honorary President of the Society. The above suggestions having been approved by His Excellency the Governor-General, and the members of the Society having now been convened in accordance therewith, the Council would make the following Recommendations : (Ist) That the above provisions be adopted by the Society for the constitution and conduct of the present meeting. : (2nd) That the Council be empowered to consider and report at the general session on Saturday next (27th May) on the best mode of associating with this Society the various local Literary and Scientific Societies existing in the Dominion ;—on prizes or other inducements that may be offered to scientific or literary men, not members of the Society ;—on the time and place of the next meeting ;— on the desirableness of inviting the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and societies of other countries to send delegates to the next or any future meeting ;—on the opening of communi- cation with the officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and others, with reference to the collection of specimens, with the view to the formation of a Canadian Museum of Archives, Ethnology, Archeology and Natural History ;—and also to prepare memorials to the Dominion Government in favour of the establishment of such Canadian Museum, and of a grant to this Society in aid of publication and other objects of the Society. (3rd) That the Council to be elected at this meeting be empowered to prepare a permanent Constitution and Bye-Laws for the Society,—to arrange for its incorporation,—to suggest as to the means of paying its expenses, whether by fees exigible from members or otherwise,—to apply for Legislative aid,—and to report at next meeting. (4th) That His Excellency the Governor-General be respectfully requested to transmit to Her Gracious Majesty the Queen the proceedings of this our first meeting, with our humble petition that she will be pleased to sanction our assuming the title of The Royal Society of Canada. (5th) That the Lieutenant-Governors of the Provinces of the Dominion and of Newfoundland, the members of the Honorable the Privy Council, and the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Chief Justices of the Provinces, shall be ex officio Honorary Associates of the Society, and shall receive copies of its transactions, (6th) That the proceedings of the present meeting be arranged as follows :— After this Session the Sections will meet to organize and appoint Secretaries and Committees, and for other business. At four o'clock p.m., the meeting will be formally opened by His Excellency the Governor- General, and addresses will be delivered by the President and Vice-President of the Society. At eight o'clock p.m., the Society will meet in sections for the addresses of Presidents of Sections and for the reading and discussion of papers. On Friday at 10 a.m., the Society will meet in sections for the reading and discussion of papers. On Saturday at 10 a.m., the Society will meet in sections for reading of papers, for reports and for elections. At 12 noon it will meet in general session for reports of sections, report of council, elections and other business. IV. ROYAT SOCIETY OF CANADA. The Council would further report that, in view of the relations of the Province of Newfoundland to the Dominion, and of the eminent scientific services of Alexander Murray, Esq., C.M.G., F.GS, Director of the Geological Survey of that Province, that gentleman has been nominated a special additional member of this Society, in Section 4, and the Council would recommend that in future, with reference to elections of members of the Society, Newfoundland be regarded as in the same posi- tion with the provinces of the Dominion of Canada. On motion of Dr. Daniel Wilson, seconded by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, the report was received, and the recommendations therein contained were considered seriatim by the Society. The first, second, third and fourth recommendations having been again read, were unanimously adopted. The fifth recommendation having been again read, it was proposed and agreed that the Council should be requested to take into consideration the advisability of adding to the list of those entitled to receive the Transactions of the Society, and of otherwise amending the said recommendation. The fifth and sixth recommendations were then duly adopted. : The Secretary then read the roll. Members of the Society. (Members not present are designated by an asterisk.) Section I.—French Literature, History, Archeology, déc. Abbé Bégin, Quebec ; *Abbé Bois, Maskinonge ; *Napoleon Bourassa, Montreal; Abbé Casgrain, Rivière Ouelle; P. J. O. Chauveau, Montreal ; Paul De Cazes, Quebec ; Oscar Dunn, Quebec ; *Hector Fabre, Quebec; Faucher de St. Maurice, Quebec ; Louis H. Fréchette, Montreal; “Napoleon LeGendre, Quebec ; Pamphile LeMay, Quebec ; James M. LeMoine, Quebec; F. G. Marchand, Sf. John’s; Joseph Marmette, Quebec; *A. B. Routhier, Quebec ; Benjamin Sulte, Ottawa; Abbé Tanguay, Ottawa ; Joseph Tassé, Ottawa; Abbé Verreau, Montreal. Section II —English Literature, History, Archeology, etc. John George Bourinot, Ottawa; R. Maurice Bucke, London; Rev. Æneas McDonell Dawson, Ottawa; *G. T. Denison, Zoronto; *Rev. G. M. Grant, Kingston; William Kirby, Magara ; *John Lesperance, Montreal; Charles Lindsey, Toronto; *Rev. W. Lyall, Halifax, N.S. ; George Murray, Montreal ; Rev. J. Clark Murray, Montreal; Evan McColl, Kingston; John Reade, Montreal; Charles Sangster, Ottawa; *Goldwin Smith, Toronto; George Stewart, Jr., Quebec; Alpheus Todd, Ottawa ; *J. Watson, Kingston ; Daniel Wilson, Toronto ; *G. Paxton Young, Toronto. Section ITI.— Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences. Charles Baillargé, Quebec ; Herbert A. Bayne, Kingston ; Charles H. Carpmael, Toronto ; Edward J. Chapman, Toronto ; J. B. Cherriman, Ottawa; E. Deville, Ottawa; N. F. Dupuis, Kingston ; Sand- ford Fleming, Ottawa; *Pierre Fortin, Montreal; Gilbert P. Girdwood, Montreal; F. W. Gisborne, Ottawa; E, Haanel, Cobourg; Rev. Thomas E, Hamel, Quebec ; Bernard J. Harrington, Montreal ; Christian G. Hoffmann, Ottawa ; Thomas Sterry Hunt, Montreal; Alexander Johnson, Montreal; *J. T. Loudon, Toronto; Thomas Macfarlane, Actonvale ; J. G. McGregor, Halifax, N.S. Section I V.—Geological and Biological Sciences. Loring W. Bailey, Fredericton; *George Barnston, Montreal; Robert Bell, Ottawa; *George M. Dawson, Ottawa ; John William Dawson, Montreal ; Edwin Gilpin, Halifax, N.S. ; *J. Bernard Gilpin, Halifax, N.S.; James A. Grant, Ottawa; *J. M. Jones, Halifax, NS.; Rev. J. C. K. Laflamme, Quebec; George Lawson, Halifax, N.S.; J. Macoun, Belleville; George F. Matthew, St. John, N.B. ; Alexander Murray, St. John’s, Nfd.; W. Osler, Montreal; W. Saunders, London; A. R. C. Selwyn, Ottawa; *D, N. St. Cyr, Quebec; J. F. Whiteaves, Ottawa; R. Ramsay Wright, Toronto . PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. Vs The Society then adjourned to meet in sections for the purpose of organization and the reading and discussion of papers previous to the Formal Opening of the Session. At 4 p.m. the Society assembled in the Senate Chamber, a large number of ladies and gentlemen of the city of Ottawa being also present. His Excellency the Governor-General having entered the chamber, followed by the Council of the Society, the members of the Society were presented to him, after which he addressed the Society as follows : Gentlemen—These few words I do not address to you, presuming to call myself one of your brotherhood, either in science or literature, but I speak to you as one whose accidental official position may enable him to serve you, persuaded as I am that the furtherance of your interests is for the benefit and honour of Canada. Let me briefly state the object aimed at in the institution of this Society. Whether it be possible that our hopes will be fulfilled according to our expectation, the near future will show. From the success which has attended similar associations in other lands, possessed of less spirit, energy and opportunity than our own, there is no reason to augur ill of the attempt to have here a body of men whose achievements may entitle them to recognize and encourage the appearance of merit in literature, and to lead in science and the useful application of its dis- coveries. It is proposed then that this Society shall consist of a certain number of members who have made their mark by their writings, whether these be of imagination or the study of nature. In one division our fellow-countrymen, descended from the stock of Old France, will discuss with that grace of diction and appreciation of talent which are so conspicuous amongst them, all that may affect their literature and the maintenance of the purity of that grand language from which the English is largely derived. They will know how to pay compliments to rising authors, and how with tact and courtesy to crown the aspirants to the honours they will bestow. Among English men of letters the grant of such formal marks of recognition by their brethren has not as yet become popular or usual, and it may be that it never will be customary. On the other hand it surely will be a pleasure to a young author, if, after a perusal of his thoughts, they who are his co-workers and successful precursors in the wide domain of poetry, of fiction, or of history, should see fit to award him an expression of thanks for his contribution to the intellectual delight or to the knowledge of his time. They only, whose labours have met with the best reward—the praise of their contemporaries—can take the initiative in such a welcome to younger men; and whatever number may hereafter be elected to this Society, it is to be desired that no man be upon its lists who has not, by some original and complete work, justified his selection. The meeting together of our eminent men will contribute to unite on a common ground those best able to express the thoughts and illustrate the history of the time. It will serve to strengthen emulation among us, for the discussion of progress made in other lands must breed the desire to push the intellectual development of our own. We may hope that this union will promote the completion of the national collections which, already fairly representative in geology, may hereafter include archives, paintings, and objects illustrating ethnology and all branches of natural history. In science we have men whose names are widely known; and the vast field for study and exploration afforded by this magnificent country may be expected to reward by valuable discoveries the labours of the geologist and mineralogist. It would be out of place in these few sentences to detail the lines of research which have already engaged your attention. They will be spoken of in the record of your proceedings. | Among those the utility of which must be apparent to all, one may be particularly mentioned. I refer to the meteorological observations, from which have been derived the storm warnings which during the last few years have saved many lives. A comparatively new science has thus been productive of results known to all our population, and especially to seamen. Here I have only touched upon one or two subjects in the wide range of study which will occupy the time and thoughts of one half of your membership, devoted as two of your four sections will be to geological and biological sciences. It will be your province to aid and MT: ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. encourage the workers in the acquisition of knowledge of that Nature, each of whose secrets may become the prize of him who shall make one of her mysteries the special subject of thought. America already bids fair to rival France and Germany in the number of her experts. Canada may certainly have her share in producing those men whose achievements in science have more than equalled in fame the triumphs of statesmen. These last labour only for one country, while the benefits of the discoveries of science are shared by the world. But widely different as are the qualities which develop patriotism and promote science, yet I would call to the aid of our young association the love of country, and ask Canadians to support and gradually to make as perfect as possible this their national society. Imperfections there must necessarily be at first in its constitution—omissions in membership and organization there may be. Such faults may be hereafter avoided. Our countrymen will recognize that ina body of gentlemen drawn from all our provinces and conspicuous for their ability, there will be a centre around which to rally. They willsee that the welfare and strength of growth of this association shall be impeded by no small jealousies, no carping spirit of detraction, but shall be nourished by a noble motive common to the citizens of the republic ofletters and to the students of the free world of nature, namely, the desire to prove that their land is not insensible to the glory which springs from numbering among its sons those whose success will become the heritage of mankind. I shall not now further occupy your time, which will be more worthily used in listening to the addresses of the presidents, and of those gentlemen who for this year have consented to take the chair at the meetings of the several sections. The President of the Society, Dr. J. W. Dawson, then addressed the meeting as follows: My Lord and Gentlemen ; Ladies and Gentlemen,—We meet to-day to inaugurate a new era in the progress of Canadian literature and science, by the foundation of a body akin to those great national societies which in Great Britain and elsewhere have borne so important a part in the advancement of science and letters. The idea of such a society for this country may not be altogether new; but if broached at all, it has been abandoned from the inability of its advocates to gather together from our widely distributed provinces the elements necessary to its success. Now it presents itself under different and happier conditions. In the mother country, the reign of Queen Victoria, our gracious Sovereign, has been specially marked by the patronage of every effort for the growth of education, literature, science and art, not only on her part but on that of the lamented Prince Albert and of the members of the Royal family. It is fitting that here too the representative of Royalty should exert the same influence and our present Governor—General has undoubtedly a personal as well as a hereditary right to be the patron of progress and culture in literature and science. Besides this, political consolidation and improved means of intercourse have been welding together our formerly scattered provinces and causing much more intimate relations than formerly to subsist between men of letters and of science. We are sometimes told that the enterprise in which we are engaged is premature, that, like some tender plant too early exposed to the frost of our Canadian spring, it will be nipped and perish. But we must remember that in a country situated as this is nearly everything is in some sense premature, It is with us a time of breaking-up ground and sowing and planting, not a time of reaping or gather- ing fruit, and unless this generation of Canadians is content, like those that have preceded it, to sow what others must reap in its full maturity, there will be little hope for our country. In Canada at present, whether in science, in literature, in art or in education, we look around in vain for anything that is fully ripe. We see only the rudiments and the beginnings of things, but if these are healthy and growing, we should regard them with hope, should cherish and nurture them as the germs of greater things in the future. Yet there isa charm in this very immaturity, and it brings with it great opportunities. We have the freedom and freshness of a youthful nationality. We can trace out new paths which must be followed by our successors; we have the right to plant wherever we please the trees under whose shade they will sit. The independence which we thus enjoy, and the originality which we can claim, are in themselves privileges, but privileges that carry with them great responsibilities. PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. NAT Allow me to present to you a few thoughts bearing on this aspect of our position, and, in doing so, to confine myself chiefly to the side of science, since my friend Dr. Chauveau, who is to follow, is so much better able to lay it before you from the literary point of view. Young though our country is, we are already the heirs of the labours of many eminent workers in science, who have passed away or have been removed from this country. In geology, the names of Bigsby, Bayfield, Baddeley, Logan, Lyell, Billings, Hector and Isbister, will occur to all who have studied the geological structure of Canada, and there are younger men like McOuat and Hartley, too early snatched away, who have left behind them valuable records of their labours. In botany and zoology we can point to Michaux, Pursh, Hooker, Shepherd, Bourgeau, Douglas, Menzies, Richardson, Lord and Brunet. These are but a few of the more eminent labourers in the natural history of this country, without mentioning the many living workers who still remain to it; and were it the object of this Society merely to collect and reproduce and bring up to date what these older men have done, it would have no small task before it. But to this we have to add the voluminous reports of the Geolo- gical Survey, and the numerous papers and other publications of the men who are still with us. In natural science we thus have a large mass of accumulated capital on which to base our future opera- tions, along with an unlimited scope for further researches. The older men among us know how much has been done within the lifetime of the present generation. When as a young man I began to look around for means of scientific education, there was no regular course of natural science in any of our colleges, though chemistry and physics were already taught in some of them. There were no collections in geology or natural history except the private cabinets of a few zealous workers. The Geological Survey of Canada had not then been thought of. There were no special schools of practical science, no scientific libraries, no scientific publications, and scarcely any printed information accessible. In these cireumstances, when I pro- posed to devote myself to geological pursuits, I had to go abroad for means of training not then equal to that which can now be obtained in many of our Canadian colleges. Nor at that time were there public employments in this country to which a young geologist or naturalist could aspire. It is true this was more than forty years ago, but in looking back it would seem but as yesterday, were not these years marked by the work that has been done, the mass of material accumulated and the scientific institutions established within that time. Those who began their scientific work in these circum— stances may be excused for taking somewhat hopeful views as to the future. Perhaps at present the danger is that we may be content to remain in the position we have reached, without attempting anything farther; and, however inconsistent this may be, it is easy to combine the fear that any movement in advance may be rash and premature, with the self-satisfied belief that we have already advanced so far that little remains to be attained. We must bear in mind, however, that we have still much to do to place us on a level with most other countries. With the exception of the somewhat meagre grants to the Geological Survey and to the Meteorological Service, the Government of Canada gives nothing in aid of scientific research. What is done for scientific education by local societies must, under our system, be done by the separate Provinces, and is necessarily unequal and imperfect. Few large endowments have been given for scientific purposes. We have had no national society or association comparable with those in other countries. Yet we are looking forward to a great future. Wealth and population are moving rapidly onward, and the question is whether culture of the higher grade shall keep pace with the headlong rush of material progress. Various elements may enter into the answer of this question, but undoubtedly the forma- tion of such a society as this is one of these of the utmost importance ; and, even though at the present time the project may fail of success or be only partially effective (of which, however, I have no apprehension), it must be renewed till finally enabled to establish itself. Another consideration bearing on this question is the vastness of the territory which we possess, and for the scientific development of which we have assumed the responsibility. Canada comprises one-half of the great North American continent, reaching for three thousand miles from east to west, VILL. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. and extending from south to north from the latitude of 42° to the Polar Sea. In this area we have representatives of all the geological formations, from the Laurentian and Huronian, to which Canada has the honour of giving names, to the Post-pliocene and modern. Of some of these formations we have more magnificent developments than any other country. In zoology our land area extends from : the home of the musk-ox on the north to that of the rattlesnake on the south, and we have perhaps the greatest area possessed by any country for the study of fresh-water animals. Our marine zoology includes that of the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Arctic Ocean, In botany we have the floras of the Atlantic and Pacific slopes, of the western plains and of the Arctic zone. In physical, astronomical and meteorological investigations we have the advantage of vast area, of varied climate and conditions ; while these circumstances in themselves imply responsibilities in connection with the progress of science not here only but throughout the world. Much is no doubt being done to cultivate these vast fields of research, and I would not for a moment underrate the efforts being made and the arduous labours, perils and privations to which the pioneers in these fields are even now subjected, but what is being done is relatively insignificant. Many letters from abroad reach me every year asking for information or reference to Canadian workers in specialties which no one here is studying ; and I know that most of our active naturalists are continually driven by such demands to take up new lines of investigation in addition to those already more than sufficient to occupy their time and energy. Were it not for the aid indirectly given to us by the magnificent and costly surveys and commissions of the United States, which freely invade Canadian territory whenever they find any profitable ground that we are not occupying, we should be still more helpless in these respects. Is there not in these circumstances reason for combination of effort, and for the best possible arrange- ments for the distribution of our small force over the vast area which it has to maintain. I have dealt sufficiently long on topics which indicate that the time has fully come for the insti- tution of the Royal Society of Canada. Let us turn for a moment to the consideration of the ends which it may seek to attain and the means of their attainment. I would place here first the establishment of a bond of union between the scattered workers now widely separated in different parts of the Dominion. Our men of science are so few and our country so extensive that it is difficult to find in any one place or within reasonable distance of each other, half a dozen active workers in science. There is thus great lack of sympathy and stimulus, and of the discussion and interchange of ideas which tend so much to correctas well as to encourage. The lonely worker finds his energies flag, and is drawn away by the pressure of more popular pursuits, while his notions become one-sided and inaccurate through want of friendly conflict with men of like powers and pursuits. Even if this Society can meet but once a year, something may be done to remedy the evils of isolation. Again,means are lacking for the adequate publication of results. True we have the reports of the Geological Survey, and Transactions are published by some of the local societies, but the resources at the disposal of these bodies are altogether inadequate, and for anything extensive or costly we have to seek means of publication abroad; but this can be secured only under special circumstances ; and while the public results of Canadian science become so widely scattered as to be accessible with difficulty, much that would be of scientific value fails of adequate publication, more especially in the matter of illustrations. Thus the Canadian naturalist is often obliged to be content with the public- ation of his work in an inferior style and poorly illustrated, so that it has an aspect of inferiority to work really no better, which in the United States or the mother country has the benefit of sumptuous publication and illustration. On this account he has often the added mortification of finding his work overlooked or neglected, and not infrequently while he is looking in vain for means of publication, that which he has attained by long and diligent labour is taken away from him by its previous issue abroad, In this way also it very often happens that collectors who have amassed important material of great scientific value are induced to place it in the hands of specialists in other countries, who have at their command means of publication not possessed by equally competent men here. PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. IX: The injury which Canadian science and the reputation of Canada sustain in this way is well known to many who are present and who have been personal sufferers. Should this Society have sufficient means placed at its disposal to publish Transactions equal—I shall not say to those of the Royal Society of London or the Smithsonian Institution at Washington —but to those of such bodies as the Philadelphia Academy or the Boston Society of Natural History, an incalculable stimulus would be given to science in Canada, by promoting research, by securing to this country the credit of the work done in it, by collecting the information now widely scattered, and by enabling scientific men abroad to learn what is being done here. It is not intended that such means of publication should be limited to the works of members of the Society. In this respect it will constitute a judicial body to decide as to what may deserve publication. Its Transactions should be open to good papers from any source, and should in this way enable the younger and less known men of science to add to their own reputation and that of the country, and to prepare the way for admission to membership of this Society. Few expenditures of public money are more profitable to the State than that which promotes scientific publication. The actual researches made imply much individual labour and expense, no part of which falls on the public funds; and by the comparatively small cost of publication the country obtains the benefit of the results obtained, its mental and industrial progress is stimulated, and it acquires reputation abroad. This is now so well understood that in most countries public aid is given to research as well as to publication. Here we may be content, in the first instance, with _the latter alone; but, if the Society shall at first be sustained by the Government, it may be hoped | that, as in older countries, private benefactions and bequests will flow into it, so that eventually it may be able not merely to afford means of publication but to extend substantial aid to young and struggling men of science who are following out, under difficulties, important investigations. In return for aid given to this Society, the Government may also have the benefit of its advice as a body of experts in any case of need. The most insignificant natural agencies sometimes attain to national importance. A locust, a midge, or a parasitic fungus, may suddenly reduce to naught the calculations of a finance-minister. The great natural resources of the land and of the sea are alike under the control of laws known to science. We are occasionally called on to take our part in the observation of astronomical or atmospheric phenomena of world-wide interest. In such cases it is the practice of all civilized governments to have recourse to scientific advice, and in a Society like this our Government can command a body of men free from the distracting influences of private and local interests and able to warn against the schemes of charlatans and pretenders. Another object which we should have in view is that of concentrating the benefits of the several local societies scattered through the Dominion. Some of these are of long standing and have done much original work. The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec is, I believe, the oldest of these bodies, and its Transactions include not merely literature and history but much that is of great value in natural science, while it has been more successful than any of our other societies in the accumula- tion of a library. The Natural History Society of Montreal, of which I have had the honour to be a member for twenty-seven years, is now in its fifty-third year. It has published seventeen volumes of Proceedings, including probably a larger mass of original information respecting the natural history of Canada than is to be found in any other publication. It has accumulated a valuable museum, and has done much to popularize science. It has twice induced the American Association for the Advancement of Science to hold its meetings in Canada, and was the first body to propose the establishment of a Geological Survey. The Canadian Institute of Toronto, occupying the field of literature as well as science, though a younger has been a more vigorous society ; and its Transactions are equally voluminous and valuable. The Natural History Society of St. John, New Brunswick, though it has not published so much, has carried out some very important researches in local geology, which are known and valued throughout the world. The Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science is a flourishing body and publishes valuable Transactions. The Institut Canadien of Quebec, and the Ottawa Natural Pro. 1882. 8. X. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. History Society, are also flourishing and useful institutions. The new Natural History Society of Manitoba has entered on a vigorous and hopeful career. There are also in the Dominion some societies of great value cultivating more restricted fields than those above referred to, and of a character rather special than local. As examples of these I may mention the Entomological Society of Canada, the Historical Society and the Numismatic Society of Montreal. Did I suppose that this Society would interfere with the prosperity of such local bodies, I should be slow to favour its establishment. I believe, however, that the contrary effect will be produced. They are sustained by the subscriptions and donations of local members and of the provincial legislatures, while this Society must depend on the Dominion Parliament, from which they draw no aid. They will find abundant scope for their more frequent meetings in the contributions of local labourers, while this will collect and compare these and publish such portions as may be of wider interest. This Society will also furnish means of publication of memoirs too bulky and expensive to appear in local Transactions. There should, however, be a closer association than this. It is probable that nearly all the local societies are already represented among our members by gentlemen who can inform us as to their work and wishes. We should therefore be prepared at once to offer terms of friendly union. For this purpose it would be well to give to each of them an associate membership for its president and one or two of its officers, nominated by itself and approved by our council. Such representatives would be required to report to us for our Transactions the authors and subjects of all their original papers, and would be empowered to transmit to us for publication such papers as might seem deserving of this, and to make suggestions as to any subjects of research which might be, developed by local investigation. The details of such association may, I think, readily be arranged, and on terms mutually advantageous, and conducive to the attainment of the objects we all have in view. It would be a mistake to suppose that this Society should include all our literary and scientific men, or even all those of some local standing. It must consist of selected and representative men who have themselves done original work of at least Canadian celebrity. Beyond this it would have no resting-place short of that of a great popular assemblage Whose members should be characterised rather by mere receptivity than by productiveness. In this sense it must be exclusive in its member- ship, but inclusive in that it offers its benefits to all. It is somewhat surprising, at first sight, and indicative of the crude state of public opinion in such matters, that we sometimes find it stated that a society so small in its membership will prove too select and exclusive for such a country as this; or find the suggestion thrown out that the Society will become a professional one by including the more eminent members of the learned professions. If we compare ourselves with other countries, I rather think the wonder should be that so many names should have been proposed for membership of this Society. Not to mention the strict limitations in this respect placed on such Societies in the mother country and on the continent of Europe, we have a more recent example in the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. That country is probably nearly as democratic in its social and public institutions as Canada, and its scientific workers are certainly in the proportion of forty to one of ours. Yet the original members of the Academy were limited to fifty, and though subsequently the maximum was raised to one hundred, this number has not yet been attained. Yet public opinion in the United States would not have tolerated a much wider selection, which would have descended to a lower grade of eminence, and so would have lowered the scientific prestige of the country. Science and literature are at once among the most democratic and the most select of the institu- tions of society. They throw themselves freely into the struggle of the world, recognize its social grades, submit to the criticism of all, and stand or fall by the vote of the majority; but they abso- lutely refuse to recognize as entitled to places of importance any but those who have earned their titles for themselves. Thus it happens that the great scientific and literary societies must consist of few members, even in the oldest and most populous countries, while on the other hand their benefits PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. XI. are for all, they diffuse knowledge through the medium of larger and more popular bodies, whose membership implies capacity for receiving information, though not for doing original work, and the younger men of science and literature must be content to earn their admission into the higher rank, but have in the fact that such higher rank is accessible to them, an encouragement to persevere, and in the meantime may have all their worthy productions treated in precisely the same manner with those of their seniors. Finally, we who have been honored with the invitation to be the original members of this Society, have a great responsibility and a high duty laid upon us. We owe it to the large and liberal plan conceived by His Excellency the Governor-General to carry out this plan in the most perfect manner possible, and with a regard not to personal, party or class views, but to the great interests of Canada and its reputation before the world. We should approve ourselves first unselfish and zealous literary and scientific men, and next Canadians in that widest sense of the word in which we shall desire, at any personal sacrifice, to promote the best interests of our country, and this in connection with a pure and elevated literature and a true, profound and practical science. We aspire to a great name. The title of “Royal Society” which, with the consent of Her Gracious Majesty the Queen, we hope to assume, is one dignified in the mother country by a long line of distinguished men who have been fellows of its Royal Society. The name may provoke compari- sons not favourable to us; and though we may hope to shelter ourselves from criticism by pleading the relatively new and crude condition of science and literature in this country, we must endeavour, with God’s blessing on earnest and united effort, to produce by our cultivation of the almost bound- less resources of the territory which has fallen to us as our inheritance, works which shall entitle us, without fear of criticism, to take to ourselves the proud name of the Royal Society of Canada, The Vice-President of the Society, the Hon. Dr. CHAUVEAU, then spoke as follows :— Excellence, mes chers confrères, Mesdames et Messieurs,—Il ne s’est pas encore écoulé un demi- siècle depuis qu'à la suite d'évènements politiques, qui furent alors regardés comme désastreux, les deux provinces que la constitution de 1791 avait créées furent réunies en une seule; à peine trois lustres ont passé sur l'union fédérale des colonies anglaises de l'Amérique du Nord, qui succéda à l'union législative du Haut-Canada et du Bas-Canada; cependant si j'entreprenais d'exposer, en détail, tous les progrès qui se sont accomplis dans les deux périodes que je viens d'indiquer, il me resterait à peine le temps de parler de notre passé littéraire et de la nouvelle institution que nous inaugurons aujourd'hui et qui, tout nous porte à l’espérer, constituera elle-même un grand progrès, le com- plément de tous les autres, Le pays s’est couvert de canaux et de chemins de fer, d'immenses et lointaines régions ont été rapprochées de nous et livrées à la colonisation, les communications postales et télégraphiques ont été multipliées, des mines de toute espéce ont été découvertes et exploitées, notre marine, notre industrie, notre commerce ont pris d’étonnantes proportions, de nouveaux rapports ont été établis avec les pays étrangers, leurs capitaux ont été attirés vers nous, de nouvelles institutions financières ont été créées, enfin notre population, malgré un exode continuel vers les Etats-Unis, s’est accrue d’une manière presque prodigieuse: voilà pour le mouvement matériel! Le véritable système de gouvernement constitutionnel, dont nous n'avions jusque-là qu'un vain simulacre, s’est établi; le régime municipal s’est perfectionné, et s’il est la source de bien des abus, il est aussi la cause de bien des progrés; les institutions destinées à soulager les misères de l'humanité se sont multipliées, grâce à l'initiative des communautés religieuses, des sociétés charitables et de nos gouvernements; la plus ancienne province s'est fait un code de lois civiles que l’on commence à lui envier; des questions que les intérêts religieux et sociaux des diverses sections de la population ren- daient très difficiles ont été résolues; enfin la sphère d'action de nos hommes publics s’est agrandie, et les deux carrières, fédérale et locale, qui leur sont ouvertes et dont il est difficile d'apprécier l’impor- tance relative, tant chacune est utile, ne manquent ni l’une ni l’autre de sujets habiles et dévoués; voilà pour le mouvement politique et social ! XII. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. L’instruction du peuple a fait partout de véritables et solides progrés; les institutions de haute éducation sont devenues plus nombreuses et ont augmenté leur utilité; les institutions spéciales et scientifiques ont été créées; les associations littéraires, le journalisme ont pris un vaste essor, les revues et les recueils littéraires ou scientifiques, malgré les grandes difficultés qui s’opposaient à leur succès, se sont établis, de nouvelles publications remplaçant bravement celles qui étaient mortes à la peine; les bibliothèques, les musées, les conférences populaires se sont multipliées; les travaux historiques ont pris une très grande importance; enfin une littérature nationale dans chacune des deux langues, qui sont aux temps modernes ce que le grec et le latin étaient aux temps anciens, a vu le jour et commence à attirer les regards des Européens; voilà pour le mouvement intellectuel ! Je sais qu'il y a des ombres à ce tableau, et si je le présente sous son meilleur aspect, ce n’est pas que je veuille excuser ceux qui avaient donné un caractère d’injustice marquée à la grande évolution politique qui fut le point de départ de tous ces progrès, ni encore bien moins blémer les hommes de la nationalité à laquelle j'appartiens, qui ont fait dans le principe une si noble et si énergique résistance à la législation impériale de 1840. C'est grâce à cette résistance qu'ils ont obtenu pour eux-mêmes et pour nous tous, messieurs, les libertés dont nous jouissons en commun et dont nous sommes si fiers. Sans la lutte qui en résulta, les deux grandes races qui forment la plus grande partie du peuple de notre vaste confédération, n'auraient pas été mises sur un pied d'égalité et ne fraterniseraient point comme elles le font aujourd'hui. Du reste, aux moments les plus critiques de notre histoire, il s’est toujours trouvé des hommes d'Etat anglais qui ont compris le rôle que ces deux races avaient à jouer sur cette partie du continent américain, Je n’en veux pour exemple que ces nobles paroles de lord Grenville dans la discussion du projet de constitution de 1791: “On a appelé préjugé,” dit cet homme éminent, “l'attachement des Canadiens à leurs coutumes, à leurs lois, à leurs usages, qu'ils prèfèrent à ceux de l'Angleterre. Je crois qu'un pareil attachement mérite un autre nom que celui de préjugé; selon moi cet attachement est fondé sur la raison et sur quelque chose de mieux que la raison—il est fondé sur les sentiments les plus nobles du cœur humain.” Ne trouvez-vous pas, messieurs, une frappante ressemblance entre cette loyale déclaration et les paroles qui, après bien des vicissitudes, bien des malentendus, bien des luttes, sont tombées à diverses reprises de la bouche de plusieurs représentants de Sa Majesté, et en particulier de la bouche de sir, Charles Bagot, de celles de lord Elgin et de lord Dufferin, et dans une occasion plus récente de celle du haut personage qui préside à cette réunion ? George IIT régnait lorsqne nos deux premières constitutions—1774 et 1791—nous furent données, et notre historien, M. Garneau, dont le témoignage ne saurait être suspect, rend hommage aux efforts que fit ce monarque pour vaincre les préjugés, les ressentiments et les craintes qui s’opposaient à toute mesure de liberalité où même de justice 4 l'égard des nouveaux sujets, comme on appelait alors les Canadiens d’origine française. Il attribue à la reconnaissance de nos pères l'accueil enthousiaste fait au Prince William Henry, qui visita ce pays en 1787, et au prince Edouard, père de notre gracieuse Souveraine, qui se trouva présent au début de la constitution de 1791. La periode de temps qui s’est écoulée sous nos deux autres constitutions (1840 et 1867) n’a pas vu dans ce pays, moins de cinq des descendants de George III, parmi lesquels l'héritier présomptif de la Couronne, qui inaugura le gigantesque pont tubulaire Victoria, une des merveilles de l'Amérique et du monde entier, et qui posa la première pierre de l'édifice où se tiennent nos séances, N’est-il point permis de croire que la bienveillance dont cette grande colonie a été ainsi l’objet est une tradi- tion de famille, tradition qui n’est pas tout-à-fait étrangère à la sollicitude que Son Excellence le Gou- verneur-Général montre en ce moment pour tout ce qui a trait à notre progrès intellectuel ? Déjà les Beaux-Arts ont eu, sous le patronage de 8. A. R. la Princesse Louise et de Son Excellence le Gouverneur-Géneral, l'établissement d'une Académie dont les premières expositions ont fait naître les plus belles espérances; c’est aujourd’hui le tour des Sciences et des Lettres. Sciences et Lettres, cela est bientôt dit, mais que de choses dans ces deux mots! Ce qu'ils repré- PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. XIIT. sentent n’est, cependant, ni aussi nouveau ni aussi incomplet dans ce pays qu'on le pense générale- ment. Il y a longtemps, bien longtemps que l’on fait de nobles efforts pour la culture de l'esprit humain, sur les rives du Saint-Laurent. Tl en est un peu de notre histoire ancienne, toute proportion gardée, comme de celle du moyen âge si longtemps ignorée ou travestie. Celui qui a lu les pages enchanteresses d'Ozanam on de Montalem- bert éprouve un sentiment d’indignation, lorsqu'il entend appeler siècles de ténèbres et d’ignorance, ceux où non-senlement brillèrent des docteurs qui n’ont pas été surpassés ni même égalés depuis; mais où les cloitres étaient des académies, des musées et des bibliothèques, où des milliers et des milliers d'élèves encombraient les bancs des universités, où étudiants comme professeurs faisaient les plus grands sacrifices pour la science, et mettaient à son service la mème abnégation, le même courage, la même persévérance qu'avaient montrés des générations entières d'artistes et d'ouvriers pour bâtir ces grandes cathédrales qui s'élèvent comme des géants au-dessus des constructions de l'Europe moderne. Eh bien, dès les premiers établissements faits dans ce pays, non-seulement on s'est occupé d'y faire briller les vérités de la religion, d'y établir la pratique de la plus belle des vertus qu’elle enseigne, la charité à laquelle tant de monuments, dont quelques-uns existent encore, furent élevés, mais on a travaillé avec beaucoup de zèle et d'activité à transplanter et à faire fleurir ici les sciences et les arts, qui à cette époque jetaient un si vif éclat sur le continent de l'Europe. Il est constaté que la plupart des premiers colons savaient lire et écrire—plusieurs étaient même des hommes doués d'une éducation classique ou professionelle—que des écoles furent ouvertes en plusieurs endroits et cela indépendamment des institutions des Jésuites, du Séminaire fondé par Mgr. de Laval, et de celui des Messieurs de Saint Sulpice. Une éducation littéraire et domestique des plus saines et plus élevée qu'on ne serait tenté de le croire, se donnait aux jeunes filles chez les Ursulines à Québec et aux Trois-Rivières et chez les Sœurs de la Congrégation de Notre Dame à Montréal. Les amateurs du beau, de l'esthétique, comme on dit aujourd’hui, pourraient admirer encore avec avantage les riches travaux que l’on conserve dans quelques-uns de nos monastères. Le collége des Jésuites à Québec, l’école des arts fondée par Mgr. de Laval à Saint Joachim, formaient des sujets précieux dont quelques-uns ont rendu à la colonie d'importants services. On soutenait des thèses publiques à l’imitation de ce qui se faisait dans l’ancien monde; les gouverneurs et les inten- dants y assistaient et prenaient part àla dispute. Ces fonctionnaires comme l’évêque étaient presque toujours des lettrés. Frontenac était un ami des lettres, sa femme était du circle intime de Madame de Sévigné. M. de la Galissonnière était un savant. Talon était un homme de la plus belle éduca- tion; M. Dupuy, un de ses successeurs, tranporta au pays sa bibliothèque qui était considérable. M. Boucher, gouverneur des Trois-Rivières écrivit une histoire naturelle du pays. Les missionnaires étaient le plus souvent en même temps que des apôtres et des diplomates, des explorateurs dans le champ de la science. Le Père Charlevoix, le Père Lafiteau ont fait des études ethnologiques, des décou- vertes précieuses en botanique. Les grands voyageurs ne s’aventuraient point dans les vastes régions de l'Ouest sans avoir les connaissances astronomiques et géodésiques nécessaires pour leurs explorations. On a trouvé, dernièrement, ce que l’on croit être un instrument d'observation perdu par Champlain dans son pre- mier voyage dans la région de Ottawa, Ce grand homme, que l’on peut appeler le père de la patrie, était aussi un savant et un vigoureux et solide écrivain, A part l’histoire de ses voyages au Canada, il a laissé un traité sur l’art de la navigation et une magnifique description des pays du Golfe du Mexique, dans laquelle ses connaissances dans l’art du dessin et dans toutes les branches de l’histoire naturelle se font remarquer. Plus que cela, ila le premier conçu le projet d’unir par un canal les deux Océans que sépare l’Isthme de Panama, projet qu'après plus de deux siècles et demi un de ses compatriotes est en voie d'exécuter, Les Nicolet, les Joliet, les Marquette, les Gauthier de la Veyrenderie durent se fonder dans leurs découvertes sur les données de la science. Joliet était un élève du collége des Jésuites et il y avait soutenu une thèse publique qui avait attiré sur lui l'attention, Plus d’un botaniste à cette époque 2 XIV. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. parcouru nos forêts, et avant que le suédois Kalm, élève de Linnée, vint au château St. Louis accepter l'hospitalité de M. de la Galissonnière, ami des sciences comme on l’est aujourd’hui à Rideau Hall, Sarrasin et Gauthier avaient déjà donné leurs noms à des plantes indigènes. M. Talon fit étudier les ressources minérales et la géographie du pays sur une grande étendue de territoire; il devait avoir pour cela des hommes de science à son service. Du reste, dans ce petit monde, si isolé pendant nos longs hivers, agité de préoccupation maté- rielles qui s’imposaient de la manière la plus irrésistible, toujours en proie aux émotions de quelque nouvelle guerre, de quelque nouvelle invasion, c'était merveille de voir encore quelque science et quelque littérature se conserver. Et cependant quel charme dans les Relations du temps, quel style enjoué et élégant, et surtout quelle ardeur, quelle élévation, quelle philosophie profonde dans les lettres de cette célèbre mystique, qui a prédit la grandeur de notre pays, et que Bossuet a appelé la Sainte- Thérèse du Canada ! 2 Le goût du beau, l'idéal, le sentiment de la nature, c’est-à-dire la poésie; la recherche de la vérité c’est-a-dire la philosphie; l'étude du monde et de ses lois, c’est-à-dire la science—ne se rencontrent pas seulement dans les livres. Les livres ne sont que les archives de la pensée humaine, archives incom- plètes et surchargées de pages très inutiles pour ne rien dire de plus. Les plus belles choses qu’on y trouve souvent n'ont pas été faites en vue de la publicité. Les lettres de Mde. de Sévigné, celles de Lord Chesterfield, les pensées de Pascal, n’ont pas été écrites pour la foule. Racine composait timide- ment pour quelques petites pensionnaires deux tragédies dont l’une est devenue un des plus grands chefs-d’ceuvre du théâtre français. Un drame intitulé “ La Réception du Vicomte d’Argenson” fut joué au Collége des Jésuites en 1658, et des petites pièces, dont quelques-unes étaient originales, furent jouées plus tard aux Ursulines. M. LaRue rappelle à ce sujet que ce ne fut pas parmi les élèves de Saint-Cyr, mais parmi celles du monastère de Québec, que Mme. de Maintenon choisit la gouvernante des enfants de France, Mlle. de Marsan, plus tard Marquise de Vaudreuil, On me dira que rien de ce qui se passait alors dans notre pays ne justifie un pareil rapproche- ment. Tout ce que je veux dire, c’est qu'il y avait ici—et je crois l'avoir prouvé—une activité intel- lectuelle qui se faisait jour de mille manières et si elle n’a laissé de trace étrite que dans un petit nombre d'ouvrages, imprimés en France et se vendant aujourd’hui au poids de Vor, elle n’en a pas moins fait triompher la civilisation de la barbarie. N'était-ce pas un spectacle admirable, que celui de cette petite société, concentrée dans trois petites villes, une partie s’éparpillant à des distances immenses, revenant avec des récits vrais mais à peine croyables de tout ce qu'elle avait vu et souffert—hélas, mais trop souvent ne revenant jamais !— n'était-ce pas un merveilleux spectacle, celui que donnait au monde cette vaillante avant-garde de la civilisation, dont le rôle était, à certains égards, l'inverse de celui de la société chrétienne au moyen-âge ? Celle-ci refoulait, en la transformant, la barbarie qui envahissait le vieux monde; celle- li venait envahir dans le nouveau monde une autre barbarie plus terrible encore, et lutter contre elle à des milliers de lieues de distance, à travers un océan inconnu, dans des forêts sans bornes, et la moitié de l’année couvertes d’une épaisse couche de neige. La population de la colonie fut longtemps peu nombreuse; la classe instruite y était dans une proportion considérable : elle était, par nécessité, intimement mêlée à la classe moins favorisée sous le rapport des lumières ; il devait y avoir, il y avait un rayonnement nécessaire de l’une à l’autre, Les missionnaires—et tous les curés étaient à cette époque des missionnaires—les ordres religieux eux- mêmes, n’évangélisaient point que les sauvages. Ils maintenaient partout la civilisation et un certain degré d'instruction par leurs rapports constants avec les populations rurales même les plus éloignées et les plus isolées. Deux des ordres les plus célèbres s’etaient dévoués à notre pays. L'un d’eux est fameux dans le monde entier et le Canada lui a fourni quelques-unes des plus belles pages de ses annales. Moins connus que ceux des Jésuites, les travaux des Franciscains n’ont pas peu contribué à la grande œuvre PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. XV. de la civilisation, Ils ont été les premiers à la peine; mais ils sont loin d’avoir été les premiers à l'honneur, Du reste, le doux et humble solitaire d'Assise était bien le type de ces apôtres, de ces hommes qui devaient passer leur vie au milieu de la nature la plus primitive, ou colporter les premiers rudi- ments des lettres humaines d'habitation en habitation le long de notre grand fleuve, C’était—n’en déplaise aux savants qui sont ici—c’était le plus parfait des naturalistes que ce bon St. François, car suivant la légende non-seulement il aimait tous les êtres de la création, mais il S'en faisait aimer; il charmait les poissons, les oiseaux, même les bêtes féroces ; il ne disait pas seulement comme tout le monde: mon ami le chien; il disait aussi: mon ami le loup. Chateaubriand nous a laissé, dans son Genie du Christianisme, une charmante peinture des pérégrinations des pères Franciscains dans les hameaux et dans les châteaux de France; M. de Gaspé nous a donné une idée de ce qu'ils étaient ici encore de son temps; mais combien plus intéressant serait le tableau de leurs premières missions ! Tandis que les Jésuites, le séminaire de Québec, les Sulpiciens, et les religieuses Ursulines tra- vaillaient à la haute éducation, ces pieux mendiants avec les filles de la sœur Bourgeois et quelques instituteurs laïques—le premier de Vaudreuil en fit établir un certain nombre—répandaient Vinstruc- tion primaire, C'était par le contact de tous ces hommes instruits, quelquefois même d'un génie superieur, de toutes ces femmes distinguées, que l'habitant canadien, assez souvent lui-même, du reste, fils de famille, ancien interprète, ancien officier ou ancien soldat de quelqu'un des meilleurs régiments de France, conservait cette intelligence éclairée, cette foi robuste, cette patience inébranlable, ces principes d'honneur, cette politesse de manières, cet heureux enjouement, en un mot, ces qualités supérieures de l'humanité qui ont fourni le nom et la désignation de la littérature elle-même chez les anciens : huma- niores litteræ. Si, comme Charlevoix et Kalm le lui reprochent, la jeunesse était quelque peu frivole dans ses goûts et ses habitudes, il n’en est pas moins vrai que des centres de lumière et de science existaient alors comme aujourd'hui, et l’on aurait bien tort de croire que la masse de la population était plongée dans les ténèbres épaisses de l'ignorance. J'avoue qu'après la conquête il y eut presque une lacune. Je le dis sans amertume, mais non pas sans émotion, il y eut une assez longue période de temps où nous fûmes les déshérités de deux nations: notre ancienne mère-patrie nous avait aban- donnés, notre nouvelle mère-patrie ne nous avait pas encore adoptés. Presque toute la classe instruite, à l'exception du clergé, de quelques seigneurs et de quelques hommes de loi, repassa en France ; les deux ordres religieux dont je viens de parler furent supprimés, toutes les écoles qu'ils avaient furent fermées. Plus de rapports avec la France, plus de livres. Heureusement que l'imprimerie ne tarda pas à s'établir ici: nos premières éditions, nos incunables Canadiens furent des livres d'écoles, des livres de prières ou des livres de loi. Ils répondaient aux besoins les plus pressants. La presse périodique mit du temps à se fonder; dans le principe elle fut d’un bien faible secours au point de vue littéraire ainsi qu'au point de vue politique. Cependant, deux foyers de lumière étaient restés; nos séminaires de Québec et de Montréal. Grâce à ces deux institutions, lorsque le gouvernement constitutionnel fut établi, il y avait parmi les Canadiens-Français, autant et plus encore peut-être que parmi ceux d'origine britannique, des hommes préparés aux luttes parlementaires. Panet, Papineau, père, Pierre Bédard, de Lotbinière, Taschereau, Blanchet, furent nos premières gloires politiques. Plus tard, Papineau, fils, Vallières, Viger, LaFontaine, Morin et une foule d’autres, marchèrent sur leurs traces. La politique nous a aussi donné nos premiers écrivains: Bedard et Blanchet dans le Canadien de 1810—plus tard Morin et Parent. La poésie, timide à l’origine, se bornait à des sujets bucoliques ou didactiques: telles furent les œuvres de Quesnel, de Mermet et de Bibaud. Plus tard la muse patriotique se leva pleine de tris- tresse ou de colère; nous eûmes les dithyrambes et les élégies d'Angers, de Barthe, de Turcotte et de Garneau. Puis vinrent Lenoir et Crémazie, précurseurs de la pléiade qui brille aujourd'hui. Bibaud, Garneau, Ferland et Faillon, bientôt firent connaître notre histoire. Garneau fit époque; son livre est le point de départ des études historiques, XVI. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. La science se cultivait dans nos colléges. MM. Bedard, Demers et plusieurs autres en étaient de dignes adeptes. Je ne mentionnerai que pour mémoire le lycée de M. Wilkie, où se formèrent des hommes remarquables; aussi l’Institution Royale et l’université projetée avant cela, qui n’eurent point de résultats appréciables. La législature et les fabriques avaient établi des écoles de paroisse qui étaient déjà nombreuses en 1836, lorsque la subvention du gouvernement fut supprimée par le con- seil législatif; enfin plusieurs nouveaux colléges avaient surgi pour aider à ceux de Québec et de Montréal. Il y eut done encore en 1837, un temps d'arrêt dans les progrès de l'instruction primaire; mais l'instruction secondaire ou classique, dont lord Durham, dans son rapport, signala les résultats, trop abondants selon lui, continuait à se répandre. Si j'en viens aux institutions de la nature de celle que nous inaugurons aujourd’hui, je trouve que la première tentative de ce genre fut faite en 1809*, La Société Littéraire établie à Québec cette année- la, prit pour devise Floreamus in nemoribus, devise bien trouvée, puisque à cette époque, le territoire du lac Saint-Jean, n'étant point encore colonisé, on pouvait voir des murs de Québec, la forêt qui s’éten- dait jusqu'à la baie d'Hudson. La société, la veille de la fête du roi George ILI, dont j'ai parlé au commencement de ce discours, donnait les prix d'un concours de poésie, ouvert pour célébrer les vertus du monarque. Une pièce anglaise composée par M. Flemming, et une pièce française par un poète qui avait pris le pseudonyme de Canadensis furent couronnées. Des discours furent prononcés par M. Romain, président de la société, et par M. Louis Plamondon, une des gloires du barreau Canadien et qui dirigeait un de nos premiers journaux littéraires, Le Courrier de Quebec. L'existence de cette première société ne fut pas de longue durée. I] en est de premières publica- tions, des premières revues, des premières associations de ce genre comme des soldats qui montent les premiers à l’assaut; ceux qui les suivent et qui triomphent ont à passer sur leurs corps. La Société Littéraire et Historique de Québec, fondée par lord Dalhousie en 1824, et qui existe encore aujourd’hui, succéda après un assez long intervalle à la Société Littéraire de 1809. Elle a publié de nombreux Mémoires et les noms de quelques-uns des hommes les plus marquants des deux origines figurent parmi ceux de ses membres actifs. Elle a eu pour rivale depuis 1848 l'Institut Canadien de Québec vers lequel s’est portée de préférence la jeunesse instruite parlant la langue française. La Société d'Histoire Naturelle, la Société Historique, la Société Numismatique et Archéologique établies à Montréal, le Canadian Institute de Toronto, la Société de Géographie de Québec, l’Institut Canadien-Français d'Ottawa, et plusieurs autres associations du même genre établies dans les autres provinces de la confédération auxquelles, le président vient de rendre un hommage bien mérité, ont travaillé et travaillent encore à la propagation des sciences et des lettres. L'œuvre qui appartient à de telles institutions est difficile dans un pays comparativement nou- veau. Elle se compose de deux choses très différentes, le progrès des sciences et des lettres, et leur vulgarisation. ll ya nécessairement chez elles un peu de l'académie et beaucoup de la salle de conférences et de la bibliothèque publique. A mesure que l'instruction fait des progrès, que la littérature se forme et s'élève à de plus hautes régions, à mesure que les hautes carrières scientifiques se créent et se développent, les deux fonctions que je viens d'indiquer peuvent se séparer, et des institutions ayant un caractère plus exclusif et plus élevé peuvent avec l’aide des gouvernements s’éta- blir et prospérer. Sommes-nous arrivés à ce point? Il n’est plus temps de poser la question; elle a été décidée par une autorité supérieure et impartiale qui a porté sur notre mouvement intellectuel et littéraire un jugement plus favorable que celui que nous oserions porter nous-mêmes. J'ai fait une bien rapide et bien insuffisante esquisse de ce mouvement dans le passé pour la plus ancienne des provinces de la confédération. Dans ces dernières années combien ne s'est-il pas accéléré de toutes parts? Les grandes universités Laval, McGill, Toronto, Lennoxyille, Dalhousie, de nom- * On lit cependant ce qui suit dans un article de M. Sulte sur la poésie française au Canada: “ Il est parlé d’un cercle littéraire qui se forma à Québec entre les années 1777 et 1780; Bougainville en signale un autre avant 1757.” PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. XVII breux colléges, des écoles normales, une organisation plus complète de l'instruction publique, ont partout répandu le goût des sciences et des lettres. Les publications littéraires et scientifiques sont devenues nombreuses, les œuvres de nos écrivains sont connues maintenant en dehors de notre pays. Pour nous, descendants des premiers colons, les temps sont bien changés depuis cette époque néfaste où nous étions, comme je l'ai dit, les déshérités de deux nations! Aujourd'hui, notre nouvelle mère-patrie nous accorde une protection éclairée et nous ouvre la voie d’une prospérité et d’une im- portance sociale à laquelle il est difficile Vassigner des limites. D’un autre côté notre ancienne mère- patrie s’est souvenue de nous, elle a pour nous les procédés les plus gracieux et les rapports les plus avan- tageux s’établissent entre l’Ancienne et la Nouvelle-France, comme aux jours de Colbert et de Talon. La littérature n’a pas été étrangère à ce rapprochement, et si les sciences et l’industrie, par les trois grandes expositions de Paris, y ont eu une large part, on peut dire que nos historiens et nos poètes ont été les premiers à nous révéler à notre ancienne mère-patrie en même temps qu'ils lui mon- traient une des pages les plus glorieuses et les plus touchantes de son histoire, page demeurée jusque- là dans l’ombre et dans l’oubli. Il se trouve, du reste, ici, un de nos collègues qui est une preuve vivante de ce que j'affirme. D'un autre côté, il semble que depuis quelques années les œuvres canadiennes en langue française sont mieux connues des populations anglaises du Canada, et qu’en revanche les poètes, les écrivains et les savants anglo-canadiens sont mieux appréciés de la population française. Le moment était donc bien choisi pour convoquer, dans l'enceinte du parlement d'Ottawa, cet autre parlement littéraire et scientifique, moins bruyant que celui qui y siège d'habitude, mais dont les débats, sans passionner autant les esprits, ne seront pas tout à fait sans importance et sans utilité. Ici se rencontreront des hommes des deux nationalités, des hommes de toutes les nuances d'opinion, de toutes les parties du pays. Toutes les sciences fraterniseront entre elles, et la littérature et Vhis- toire donneront la main à la science. La science a, dans ces jours d’épreuves pour l'humanité, une mission plus difficile que jamais; si responsabilité est aussi plus grande. On lui a reproché d’étre entrée en guerre ouverte avec la religion révélée, de saper par un matérialisme destructeur toute idée de moralité, de nier enfin et l’action divine et la conscience humaine. D'un autre côté, les puissants agents physiques qu’elle a découverts et mis à la portée du vulgaire ont déjà donné à ces pernicieuses doctrines une sanction terrible; si l’on ny prenait garde, les ruines morales qu’elles feraient dans les âmes seraient suivies de ruines matérielles bien effrayantes ! : A ce point de vue, c’est une garantie bien rassurante que d’avoir à la tête de notre nouvelle in- stitution un homme qui a lutté si longtemps, et avec tant de succès pour l’idée religieuse dans le do- maine des sciences, et qui s’est acquis sous ce rapport une réputation bien méritée aux Etats-Unis et en Europe. Dans l’ancien monde une réaction semble se faire en faveur de l’idèe chrétienne. La dernière séance de reception à l’Académie Française vient de nous en donner une preuve, Cette grande com- pagnie couronne le talent littéraire partout où il se trouve: au barreau, dans la chaire chrétienne, à la tribune et dans les autres sections de l’Institut. Elle renferme dans sa vaste juridiction toutes les branches des connaissances humaines, car en toutes choses la science de bien dire et de bien écrire trouve son application, Biot et plusieurs autres savants ont été admis au nombre de ses membres, et tout dernièrement, M. Pasteur, si célèbre par ses découvertes sur les virus et les microzoaires, pro- nongait son discours de réception et faisait l'éloge de son prédecesseur, Littré—qui, disciple du posi- tiviste Comte, est mort cependant dans des idées toutes différentes, | Le discours du nouvel académicien est une revendication habile et éloquente des vérités ensei- gnées par l’école chrétienne. Il fait voir à quelles ténèbres affreuses peut conduire la négation de tout ce que les siècles qui ont précédé le nôtre ont cru et vénéré. Tout, dit-il, dans la nature nous révèle l'existence d’un Dieu créateur et de l’âme humaine faite à son image. Il cite ces paroles de Littré: Pro. 1882. c. XVII. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. “Tl faut un lien spirituel à l'humanité, faute de quoi il n’y aurait dans la société que des familles isolées, des hordes et point de société véritable.” Après avoir prouvé que la métaphysique, tant dédaignée par l’école positiviste, ne fait que traduire en nous la notion dominatrice de l'infini, il proclame en termes éloquents et de la plus haute éléva- tion philosophique, l'existence de cette image de la puissance divine, qui est au dedans de l'homme, qui à certains égards est l’homme lui-même. “Tes Grecs,” dit-il, “nous ontlégué un des plus beaux mots de notre langue, le mot enthousiasme,” en theos—un dieu intérieur ! “ La grandeur des actions humaines se mesure à l'inspiration qui les fait naître. Heureux celui qui porte en soi un dieu, un idéal de beauté et qui lui obéit: idéal de l’art, idéal de la science, idéal des vertus de l'Evangile! Ce sont là les sources vives des grandes pensées etdes grandes actions. Toutes s’éclairent du reflet de l'infini.” : J'ai peut-être trop longtemps abusé de la bienveillance de cet auditoire distingué. Dans tous les cas, j'aime à le laisser sous le charme des belles paroles que je viens de citer. Je terminerai done en remerciant Son Excellence le Gouverneur-général, au nom de tous, de Pintérét qu'il prend aux sciences et aux lettres, et plus particuliérement au nom de la première section à laquelle j'appartiens, je le remercie de la place distinguée qu'il a si gracieusement donnée à la littérature française et à l’histoire du Canada, dans l’organisation de cette société. The following is a list of the communications made to the Sections on May 25th, 26th and 27th, 1882: Sect. [—French Literature, History and Allied Subjects. Discours d’inauguration. Par M. FAucHER DE Satnr-MAvrice. Nos quatre historiens modernes : Bibaud, Garneau, Ferland, Faillon. Par J. M. Lx More. Coup d’ceil sur les commencements de la poésie française au Canada et en particulier sur les poésies de F. X. Garneau. Par Hon. P. J. O. Crauveau. Notre passé littéraire et nos historiens. Par L’ABBÉ CASGRAIN. Scénes d’une comédie inédite. Par Hon. F. G. MarcHAND. Le Bien pour le Mal. Par M. P. Le May. . Vive La France, Par Dr. L. H. FRÉCHETTE. Origines des familles canadiennes. Par L’ABB£ TANGUAY. Les commencements de Montréal. Par L’ABBÉ VERREAU. Quelques-unes de nos sociétés littéraires. Par M. P. pr Cages. Les interprètes du Canada au temps de Champlain. Par M. Beng. SULTE. Québec en 1900. Par M. Oscar Dunn. Port Royal. Par L’ABBe Béarn. Sect. IT.—English Literature, History and Allied Subjects. New World Beginnings. (President’s Address.) By Dr. DANIEL WILSON. The Establishment of Free Public Libraries in Canada. By Dr. A. Topp. The Last Defender of Jerusalem: a Poem in heroic verse. By the Rev. Æneas McD. Dawson. The Growth of the Intellect. By Dr. R. M. Bucks. A Memoir of a U. E. Loyalist Family. By Mr. W. Kirsy. Language and Conquest. By Mr. Joux Reape. Sect. III.— Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences. Address by Dr. T. Srerry Huwr, President. Note on Zine Sulphide. By Mr. T. MACFARLANE. PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. | XIX. Notes on Hydrodynamics. By Prof. Loupon, Note on Jænisch’s “ Analyse Mathématique du jeu des échecs.” By Prof. CHERRIMAN. On the Measurement of the Electrical Resistance of Electrolytes by means of the Wheatstone’s bridge. By Prof. MACGREGOR, On the Transition Resistance to the Electric current at the bounding surface between amalgamated Zine Electrodes and Solution of Zinc Sulphate. By Prof. Macarrcor. On Molecular Contraction in natural Sulphides. By Prof. E, J. CHapman. On the law of facility of error in the Sum of # Independent Quantities, each accurate to the nearest unit. By Mr, CARPMAEL. A Symmetrical investigation of the Curvature of Surfaces. By Prof. Jounson. On the Motion of a Chain on a fixed Curve. By Prof. CHERRIMAN. On an Application of a certain Determinant. By Prof, CHERRIMAN. On a Question of Probabilities. By Prof. CHERRIMAN. On the General Regulation of Civil Time, By Mr, SANDFORD FLEMING. The Utility of Geometry as applied to the Arts and Sciences. By M. BAILLARGÉ. Sect. IV.—Geological and Biological Sciences. Address by the President, Dr, A. R. C. SELWYN. Address by the Vice-President, Prof, G, Lawson, On the Distribution of Northern, Southern and Saline Plants in Canada, By Prof. J. Macoun, Descriptive Notes of a General Section from the Laurentian Axis to the Rocky Mountains, north of the 49th parallel. By Dr, G. M, Dawson, On the Physical and Geological Features of the St. John River Valley. By Prof. L. W. Barney. Observations on the Anatomy and Development of the Cestodes. By Prof. A. Ramsay WRIGHT, On Lacustrine Concretions from Grand Lake, Nova Scotia, By the Rev. Dr. Honeyman. Illustrations of the Fauna of the St. John Group. By Mr. G. F, MATTHEW, Notes on the Birds of Hudson’s Bay. By Dr. RoBERT BELL. On a New Classification of Crinoids. By Prof. E, J. Cuapman. On the Lower Cretaceous Rocks of British Columbia. By Mr. J. F. WHITEAVES. On Fossil Plants from the Cretaceous and Tertiary Rocks of British Columbia and the North-West Territory. - By Principal Dawson. On the Importance of Economizing and Preserving our Forests. By Mr. W. SAUNDERS, The Life-history and Development of Botrydium granulatum, By Prof. G. Lawson. On the Introduction and Dissemination of certain Noxious Insects. By Mr. W. SAUNDERS. On the Quebec Group. By Dr. A. R. C. SELWYN. (The following papers were read by title.) On the Present Condition of the Mining Industry in Canada, By Dr, R. BELL, On the Recent Discovery of large Deposits of Zine Blende on the North side of Lake Superior, By Dr, R. Betr, On some supposed Annelid Tracks from the Gaspé Sandstones, By Mr. J. F. Warreaves. On the Glaciation of Newfoundland, By Mr. A: Murray, (The following were presented by Prof. A. Ramsay Wright.) Note on the Segmentation of the ovum in Thalassema, By Prof, PLayrarr McMurrtcn, Note on the Cranium of the Pipe-Fish (Syngnathus), Do, do. do. Preliminary notice of Microscopie Organisms found in the tap-water of Toronto, By Mr. G. ActEson; XX. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. CONCLUDING MEETING. In accordance with the arrangements made on Thursday morning, May 25th, the Society assem- bled in general session at 12 o’clock on Saturday, 27th May, 1882, in the railway committee-room— the president in the chair. All of the members of the provisional Council were present, with the exception of Mr. Goldwin Smith. The minutes of the general meeting of Thursday were read by the honorary secretary and confirmed. The Honorary Secretary was then called upon by the President to read the following report of the Council, prepared since the meeting. The Council beg leave to submit to the Royal Society in general session the following recom- mendations :— : 1. That a letter be prepared, conveying the friendly greeting of the Society to the several scien- tifie and literary societies in the Dominion, and inviting each of them to elect annually one of its. members as a delegate to any meeting of this Society, such delegate to have, during his term of office, the privilege of taking part in section meetings for reading and discussion of papers ; and asking also that such delegate be empowered to communicate annually a short statement of original work done and papers published, and to report on any matters on which the Society may usefully aid in publica- tion or otherwise. That copies of the Transactions of this Society be sent to all local societies so as- sociated, That such circulars be sent to the following :— Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. Natural History Society of Montreal. Canadian Institute, Toronto. Natural History Society of New Brunswick. Nova Scotia Institute of Natural Science. Literary and Scientific Society, Ottawa. Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba. Entomological Society of Ontario. Institut Canadien, Quebec. Historical Society of Montreal. Numismatic Society of Montreal. Historical Society of Halifax. Geographical Society of Quebec. Institut Canadien-Frangais, Ottawa. And such other societies as the Council, on inquiry, may deem deserving of such distinction. 2. That so soon as the Society shall be in possesion of funds available for such purposes, the Council may offer prizes or other inducements for valuable papers, or may aid researches already begun and carried so far as to render their ultimate value probable. 3. That the Council be empowered to fix the next place of meeting for either Toronto, Quebec or Halifax, provided that an invitation from any of those cities and contributions toward expenses of the Society can be secured. That the time of meeting be in September, 1883. 4. That His Excellency the Governor-General be respectfully requested to continue the corres- pondence with the Council of the British Association, and to invite a delegation to meet with this Society at its meeting in 1883, and that invitations be extended through His Excellency to the Insti- tute of France, and to the Association Frangaise, the Association of Naturalists of Germany, and to the American Association. PROCEEDINGS FOR 1882. XXI. 5. That communication be opened with the Hudson’s Bay Company and with the Pacific Railway Company, with reference to obtaining specimens for the contemplated Canadian Museum, and that a circular be prepared setting forth the wants of the Society in this respect, and with suggestions as to collecting and transmitting specimens, and that it be addressed to all persons able to aid in the matter in the North-Western and North-Eastern Territories and British Columbia. 6. That the Council ascertain as soon as possible the number and extent of the papers presented to this meeting which deserve publication, and the probable expense of properly illustrating the same ; that communication of the facts be made to H. E. the Governor-General, with reference to obtaining a parliamentary grant, and that printing be commenced as soon as assurance can be obtained of such grant. 7. That the following shall be entitled, ex-officio, to receive copies of the Transactions of the Society :— The Lieutenant-Governors of the Provinces of the Dominion and Newfoundland. The Members of the Privy Council of Canada. The Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court of Canada. 4 The Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons. : The Chief Justice of each of the Provinces. = The Premier of each Province. The Speakers of the Legislatures of the Provinces. The Minister or Superintendent of Education in each Province. The Universities, Library of Parliament and Libraries of Provincial Legislatures. 8. That the 24th of May. being the anniversary of the founding of the Royal Socciety of Canada under the direction of His Excellency the Marquis of Lorne, all prizes, diplomas or other honorary gifts shall be presented on that day. The first of the foregoing recommendations having again been read, it was amended, on motion of Lieut.-Col. Denison, seconded by Mr. G. Stewart, by adding the following words to the end thereof, “subject, however, to the vote of the Society.” The second recommendation having again been read, it was amended on motion of Dr. Lawson, seconded by Mr. Macfarlane, by adding the following words to the end thereof: “but that no part of the Society’s general funds shall be devoted to such purpose, without the vote of the Society.” The third recommendation having again been read, it was amended, on motion of Dr. Grant seconded by Rev. Mr. Dawson, by providing “ that the next meeting of the Society shall be held at Ottawa, in the month of May, 1883.” The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth recommendations were then again read and adopted. The following resolutions, sent up from the respective sections, were then formally proposed and — adopted: 1, That the attention of the Society be directed to the subject of the preservation and planting of forests by public and private means, as an important object to be promoted by this Society in connection with the International Forestry Association. (From the Geological and Biological Section.) 2. That a memorial be transmitted to the Dominion Government by the Royal Society ‘of Canada, praying that (1) All scientific works in foreign languages, (2) All scientific periodicals, (3) All transactions of scientific societies be included in the list of articles admitted free of duty into this country, (From the Geological and Biological section.) | XXIT, ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 3. That in view of the general importance of the question of regulating time throughout the world, this section recommends that the Council co-operate, as far as practicable, in the movement towards that end, and that steps be taken to secure the representation of Canada in the International Conference to determine a zero meridian, now contemplated by the Congress of the United States. (From the Mathematical, Physical and Chemical section.) The reports of sections as to the election of officers of the same having been called for, Mr. J. M. LeMoine reported that the following gentlemen had been appointed for Section L., French Literature, ete. President, - - - - - J. M. LeMorne, Vice-President, - = - - Faucuer DE SAINT-MAURICE. Secretary, - - - - - 3B. Suzre. Mr, George Stewart made the following report for Section II., English Literature, &e. President, - - - - - Danrez Wriison. Vice-President, - - - - GoLpwrin Smita. Secretary, - - - - - GEORGE STEWART, JR. Dr, T. Sterry Hunt made the following report for Section III., Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences : President, - - - - - T. Srerry Honr. Vice-President, - - - - C. H. Carpmast. Secretary, - - - - - J. B. CHERRIMAN. Dr, Selwyn made the following report for Section IV., Geological and Biological Sciences : President, - - - - -