142 Natural History Society of Montreal, 



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us our distinguished scientific guest, Mr. Hall of x\lbany. His 

 speech will be read with much pleasure and interest. Our excel- 

 lent President, Principal Dawson, conducted the business of the 

 evening with his usual felicitous urbanity and address. We are 

 happy to find that the removal of the Society to their new build- 

 ing has not only called forth the liberality of our friends to the 

 amount of £400, but also added many new members to our roll. 



The President (Principal Dawson) spoke as follows : — The 

 occasion of our meeting here this evening is a memorable one in 

 the history of this Society, and I trust also in the annals of Na- 

 tural Science in Canada. We have long desired to possess a 

 building suitable for the preservation and exhibition of the large 

 and increasing collection which is to-day, for the first time, ade- 

 quately exposed to public view. (Applause.) This end we have 

 at last attained, and I desire here, in as few words as possible, to 

 express our obligation to those by whose aid this Society has at 

 length found a fitting local habitation. And first, I may say that 

 the Society owes much to the zeal and activity of its officers ; and 

 without derogating from the merits of others, I should expressly 

 mention the Recording Secretary, Mr. John Leeming, the Curator 

 Dr. Fenwick, and the Treasurer, Mr. Ferrier. We owe, also, an 

 expression of gratitude to several gentlemen not officers of the 

 Society, for aid in the arrangement of the objects in the museum, 

 and more especially to Mr. D' Urban, and to one of our guests 

 of this evening, Mr. Carpenter, who has kindly devoted two days 

 to the proper classification of our collection of Mollusks. I must 

 next refer to the liberal terms on which the University of McGill 

 College has bestowed the ground on which this building stands — 

 terms which exact only that which this Society is at all times 

 most ready to offer, access to its collection, as a means of assist- 

 ing the studies of our younger naturalists. I may add, on behalf 

 of the University, that it rejoices to have it in its power thus to 

 aid a Society engaged, like itself, in the promotion of liberal edu- 

 cation and science. I Have next to refer to the kind liberality of 

 the citizens of Montreal, in contributing, by voluntary subscrip- 

 tions and payment for life memberships, to our building fund, and 

 to the transference to this Society, for the same purpose, of the 

 the balance in the hands of the Committee for the American Asso- 

 ciation. For the rest, we have expended in the same manner the 

 proceeds of the sale of our former building, including, of course, 

 the amount of the bequest of the late Rev. Mr. Somerville. The 

 building has cost about $10,000, and we shall probably have 



