The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 



The President made the following annual report : 

 Gentlemen of the Academy,— 



At the close of the year it becomes my duty to make a formal report on the 

 work of the past year. In doing so I am glad to say we have accomplished 

 enough to put us distinctly in advance of our position at the beginning of 

 the year. We are out of debt, and with enough of surplus funds to war- 

 rant us in at once proceeding with the new number of the Transactions, the 

 material for which is already provided, and which will soon be put in final 

 shape for publication. With some efforts on the part of our members, our 

 meetings have been made interesting by a concerted action effected through 

 a Committee of arrangements. We have thus always been provided with 

 something of interest at each meeting of the Academy. It is to be hoped 

 that we will constantly adhere to this plan. But at the same time we must 

 bear in mind the fact that this is not the main function of an Academy of 

 Science. It is not a school, nor a place of entertainment. It is primarily 

 an organization for the real enlargement of the boundaries of knowledge. 

 Our object in maintaining the Academy is not that of receiving personal 

 benefits, nor of instructing each other, but of discovering and publishing 

 that which was not before known. Whatever we do should be done with 

 that ultimate object in view. It does often happen that our contributions 

 take the form of short lectures on familiar subjects. This comes about 

 through the fact that we are comparatively few in numbers, and the strug- 

 gle for a fair living is one which to most of us has a well understood mean- 

 ing. We can only give to science such time as we have — after we have 

 complied with more imperative demands. It therefore happens that we 

 cannot enjoy the luxury of original papers, except at intervals. But it is 

 important that our meetings should be held at regular intervals, and that 

 we should do whatever is necessary in order to keep up the interest of the 

 meetings. 



In our country, and particularly in the newer portions where the great 

 demand of society is for material growth, science is at a great disadvan- 

 tage. The call is for men who can build new industries, who can design 

 machinery or plan and superintend engineering projects, and our techni- 

 cal schools are intended to supply this want. We are building our houses, 

 and are full of bustle and business. Some day we hope to finish them, 

 and to move in and begin to live. 



But in truth it is a subject for grave consideration that there are almost no 

 inducements to cause a young man of ability to devote his energies to pure 

 scientific research. It requires a kind of austere asceticism, a renunciation 

 of the things most prized by the average man of affairs, which it is becoming 

 more and more difficult to find. To men who have had the advantages ot 

 the training given in our technical and scientific schools, and who see the 

 great advantage which such a training gives them, the temptation to enter 

 the list and join in the scramble is almost irresistible. And it is praisewor- 

 iv. — 4 — C 



