88 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [March 



may learn to practice that toleration for each other's cherished 

 opinions, political or religious, that shall ever banish from amongst 

 us the bitter wrangling of dogmatism and the rancour of sectarian 

 strife, and shall secure among us the rule of that harmony every- 

 where prevalent in nature, and everywhere taught by her, — the 

 harmony that shall prove 



" The chain of love, 

 Combining all below and all above." 



Principal Dawson, in a short address, rapidly epitomized the 

 work done by the Society since its establishment, more than 

 thirty years ago, in gathering and recording facts in Canadian 

 natural history ; also in promoting the origination of the Geolo- 

 gical Survey, and, incidentally, in being instrumental in the 

 founding of the Somerville course of lectures. He also pointed 

 out in detail the peculiar functions of the Society as being, to 

 compare small things with great, in one respect at least, somewhat 

 analogous to those of the British association, — at least, in so far 

 as either of them might urge on the attention of the public and 

 the Government any opening of new paths of scientific local 

 enquiry. It gathered facts and preserved a record of them in 

 the " Canadian Naturalist," — facts which would otherwise have 

 been lost, or retained no scientific value. Tt had one of the 

 most important museums in the city ; and outside of its more 

 proper sphere, it had lent its countenance and assistance to ob- 

 taining the passage of the Act for the protection of insectivorous 

 birds, to the promotion of city sanitary effort, and to the formation 

 of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It was, 

 however, to be regretted that Canada did not show herself more 

 disposed to take part amongst the nations in some departments of 

 scientific investigation ; likewise, that competent zoologists and 

 botanists were not invited to accompany the expeditions sent out 

 by the Geological Survey, as they might do with great advantage 

 and at a light expense. 



The Chairman called on Dr. J. Baker Edwards, F.C.S., to 

 make some remarks on 



APPLIED SCIENCE, AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE USEFUL PRODUCTS 



OBTAINED FROM COAL. 



Dr. Edwards stated that the direction of his remarks would not 

 be towards a chemical demonstration of the miscellaneous products 

 derived from coal, but, by the enumeration of their character and 



