m EOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 



collection in the museum of the Institute draws forth unlimited praise and admiration from all arch- 

 SBologists who visit it. 



The summer convention held at Niagara last July was a decided success, much local interest was 

 taken in it; several invitations have been received for this year. The Institute has accepted that of 

 the town of Penetanguishine, round which cluster historical memories even more interesting than 

 those of our last year's meeting place. The Institute extends an invitation to the Eoyal Society to 

 take part in the coming convention. 



Two years ago, a memorial was presented to the Ontario government praying that a tract of 

 land be set apart to form a national park or reservation, for the preservation of wild animals and the 

 forest. Owing to the death of Hon. Mr. Pardee no action was taken. The Institute notices with 

 pleasure that the subject was mentioned in the closing days of the legislature by the Hon. Mr. Hardy 

 just after the annual meeting of the Institute had been held. This matter will again engage the 

 attention of the Institute. 



The Institute was ably represented at the congress on Eomance languages held in Montpellier, 

 France, last May, and at the Jamaica exhibition, by Mr. Arthur Harvey, now its president. 



The biological section has now sub-sections in microsco^jy, ornithology and botany. The first, 

 only lately formed, has organized into good working order ; the second has made a good record for 

 itself, as the report in vol. 1, part 1 of the new series will show, and the third is probably the most 

 active; only a year old, it has already collected and identified 389 species of plants, 325 of which 

 were found in the vicinity of Toronto. It is gratifying to find much interest taken in this section by 

 the associates, nearly all of whom belong to it and are young lads merging into manhood. There were 

 14 meetings and 15 papers. 



The geological and mining section points to the mining convention as the crowning work of its 

 session. There were 4 meetings and 4 papers. 



The historical section formed in the spring of 1890, arranged for and carried out the Niagara 

 convention, and last session took a deep interest in promoting the objects for which it was specially 

 organized. 



The librarian reports accessions to the libraiy. Purchases, 834 ; donations, 390, and exchanges, 

 3,700. 



The Institute exchanges its transactions with 516 societies, periodicals and others, by which means 

 it is building up a library of great scientific value. 



The publication of the new series under the title of "Transactions of the Canadian Institute" has 

 been very favourably received. It is gratifying to notice frequent reference to our proceedings as 

 well as to find many papers mentioned and ti'anslated into the j)roceedings of foreign exchanges. 



The Institute takes pleasure in acknowledging the generosity of the Ontario government in 

 placing $1,000 at its disposal for archaeological purposes, and tenders its thanks for contributions to 

 both museum and library, to numerous friends in Ontario and other parts of the Dominion, and to its 

 distinguished bon. member, Sandford Fleming, LL.D., C.M.G., F.E.S.C, for his late gift to it. 



The following is a classified list of papers presented to the Institute : — 



Anthropology 3 History 3 



Archaeology 1 Jurisprudence 1 



Astronomy 1 Literature 1 



Biography... 1 Metallurgy 1 



Biology 3 Mineralogy 2 



Chemistry 1 Miscellaneous 1 



Economics 3 Philology 3 



Fine Arts 3 Sanitary Science 2 



Geography 1 Zoology 2 



Total 33 papers. 



