L EOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 



XIII. — From The Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society, through Dr. Brtce. 



The Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society is now in the thirteenth year of its existence, and 

 has during its short history taken notice of many features of the vast territory within the sphere of 

 its worlc, viz., the country north and west of Lake Superior. Its papers are regularly published, and 

 have now reached ' Transaction 42,' and touch upon the archœology, topography, history, geology 

 and meteorology of the Northwest. The library of the society now contains some ten thousand 

 volumes, including (a) a fair collection of Americana, to which considerable additions have been 

 made during the past year ; (h) the Educational Isbistcr Library, belonging to the University of 

 Manitoba and at present in charge of the society ; (c) a respectable collection of reference works ; 

 {d) a collection of magazines, newspapers and the large scientific and historical exchange list of the 

 society. An arrangement has been made with the city of Winnipeg by which commodious rooms, 

 lighting and heating and attendance, along with a small grant annually for books, are provided. The 

 society continues to enjoy the grant of $250 from the Provincial Government, which is expended 

 entirely on the purchase of books relating to the Northwest. The society is now devoting itself to 

 marking important historical points in and about the city of Winnipeg with suitable memorials. On 

 the 19th June next a monument will be unveiled by the society on the site of the skirmish of Seven 

 Oaks, in which Governor Eobert Semjjle and twenty officers and men of the Selkirk colony were 

 killed by the Metis on the 19th of June, 1816. The funds for the movement have been generously 

 contributed by the Countess of Selkirk, and the land needed has been transferred to the society by the 

 owner, Sheriff Inkster. Steps are being taken for preserving the gateway of Fort Garry, so that 

 some memorial of this great landmark of the past may remain in the land. Efforts are being made 

 to secure for safe-keeping the large collection of documents relating to the early history of Selkirk 

 settlement, now in possession of the Hudson's Bay Company, and which the company is willing to 

 transfer so soon as suitable accommodation can be supplied. The society has a wide sj)here for its 

 operations in the Hudson's Bay Company forts, and has many of the officers of this honourable society 

 in its membership ; it has the confidence of the people of the Northwest, and its arrangement with 

 the city of Winnipeg guarantees its financial success for the future. 



XIV. — From The Elgin Historical and Scientific Institute, through Mr. Cotne, President. 



The headquarters of the Institute are at St. Thomas, Ontario. The membership, so far, is from 

 the city of St. Thomas and the adjoining townships, but it is hoped that it may be extended so as to 

 include desirable persons from the whole region north of Lake Brie. The Institute was only organ- 

 ized a month ago, and we have therefore no work done to report, except a beginning of the work laid 

 out for itself by the Institute. Some of the early pioneers of the Talbot settlement are still living. 

 We have already had the reminiscences of several of these recorded, for the benefit of the future 

 historian. 



We have caused a regular surveyor's plan to be made for the Canadian Institute of the South wold 

 Indian earthworks described in Mr. Boyle's last report, and have examined the fort itself and some 

 middens, with the result that we have already the beginning of what we expect will be in the course 

 of time a fair archaîological museum. We purpose collecting and preserving specimens of the fauna 

 and flora of the district, and devoting ourselves as far as practicable to scientific and historical 

 investigation generally. 



