X ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 



Tho Society was organized in 1862, with a membership of twenty, interested in the collection antt 

 study of coins and medals, under the name of the Numismatic Society of Montreal. In 1803, the 

 Society undertook the publication of a work describing the coins and medals relating to Canada. 

 Owing to unavoidable delays, such as the death of one member of the committee and the removal of 

 another from the city, the book was not issued until 1869. As, since that time many new coins and 

 much information has come to light, a new book on the subject has been undertaken by one of the 

 members of the Society. As it seemed to be the desire of the members to enlarge the scope of the 

 Society, its name was changed, in 1868, to that of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of 

 Montreal. This, while it still retained the Numismatic department as its most prominent feature, 

 permitted the introduction of Archteological Research in all its branches. The Society in 1870 was. 

 incorporated by act of Provincial Parliament, and in 1872 was made the recipient of a small govern- 

 ment grant, which was continued annually until last year. With the aid of this grant, the Society 

 commenced, in 1872, the publication of a qiiartei-ly entitled, tho Canadian Antiquarian and Nianis- 

 matic Journal. But it is feared that, on account of the withdrawal of the annual grant, this publica- 

 tion may have to be suspended, or much reduced in size. In this quarterly have appeared the 

 Transactions of the Society, original papers and communications, and other matters relating to 

 Aroha'ology and Numismatology, especially of the Dominion. 



The Membership of the Society, which has never been large, does not now number over iifty. 

 Could the Society succeed in increasing its membership, much more work would be accomplished. 



The following papers have been read during the year 1883 : — 



1. Some Gossip about Books, by Henry Mott. 



2. Notes on Morgan's Celebrated Canadians, by W. McLennan. 



3. The Fleur-de-Lis, by J. H. Bowe. 



4. The Hopwood Token, by R. W. McLachlan. 



5. A Few Waifs from My Portfolio, by C. S. Baker 



6. A Cent of 1859 Struck from an Altered Die, by R. W. McLachlan. 



7. Fort St. Gabi-iol, by R. C. Lj-man. 



8. On the Formation, Growth and Decline of Commei-cial Cities, and the Probable Future of 

 Montreal, by T. D. King. 



9. A British Columbia Gold Coinage, by R. W. McLachlan. 



10. A public lecture on the Ossuaries of the Hurons, by C. H. Hirschfelder. 



The collection of the Society, mainly tho contributions of members, consists of over two thou- 

 sand coins and medals, and about one hundred volumes, principally Numismatic. 



Thanking the Royal Society for this opportunity of making its work public, and for the valuable 

 volume of the Transactions of the Roj-al Society for 1883, donated to its library, the Numismatic and 

 Antiquarian Society of Montreal has much pleasure in submitting the above report. 



R. W. McLachlan, Delecjate. 

 Montreal, M&j, 1884. 



IV. From the Canadian Institute, Toronto, through Mr. C. Carpmael : — 

 The following is a list of the papers read at the Institute during the past session : — 



Nov. 3, 1883. — Complexion, Climate and Race, by J. M. Buchan, M.A. 



10, 1883.— The Literature of English Speaking Canada, by C. P. Mulvany, M.D. 



17, 1883.— Land and Labour, by W. A. Douglas, B.A. 



24, 1883.— Our Federal Government, by D. A. OSullivan, M.A. 

 Dec. 1, 1883.— The Transfer of Land, by J. Herbert Mason. 

 8, 1883.— The Theory of Heat, by J. M. Clark, B.A. 



