PROCEEDINGS FOR 18!)9 LXXXI 



a complete set of a certain publication in any one of the libraries, but 

 a complete set can be made from the various incomplete ones, this is in 

 some cases being done. In time by such friendly co-operation a very 

 distinct improvement in our library conditions will have been accom- 

 plished. Although the scheme looking to the establishment of a Pro- 

 vincial and Civic Eeference Library has now passed from the control 

 of this institute into the hands of a public committee of which our late 

 president, Professor Macallum, is the energetic chairman, it may not 

 be amiss to state here that the work of creating public opinion in favour 

 of this important project is being vigorously prosecuted. 



The treasurer's report shows that we had at the close of the' in- 

 stitute's fiscal year $464.70 in current income account, $1089.14 at the 

 credit of our permanent fund and $4080.61 at credit of the British 

 Association library fund. In the current income account the balance 

 U $364.70 in excess of the previous year, but this might convey a quite 

 erroneous impression as to our position. We have had to pay an un- 

 usually small sum this year for both publishing and binding, and during 

 the ensuing year both items will be unusually large. In the matter of 

 binding there will certainly be six or seven hundred extra volumes as 

 the result of the effort to complete our sets and in the matter of pub- 

 lishing we have to face the quite large cost of the memorial volume. 

 Of late years we have been receiving from the Ontario Government 

 total grants of $1750. During the past year and for the ensuing year this 

 has been cut down to $1250, at which figure the institute could not 

 possibly pay its expenses and continue to do active work in promoting 

 scientific investigation. In view of this fact and of the unusual ex- 

 pense attending the memorial volume a committee of the council 

 waited on the government and requested that the sum of $500 be 

 granted in connection with the memorial volume and that in recogni- 

 tion of the close of the fifty years of work by the institute the regular 

 grant of $1250 be increased hereafter to $1500. The committee ven- 

 tured to assure the government that if this was done the annual 

 requests for additional aid which have been made by each year's council 

 for some years past, will not be necessary. The sum of $500 has been 

 placed in the supplementary estimates for 1899 as a special grant for 

 the Jubilee volume and although we have no further assurance from 

 the government, we confidently hope that after the ensuing year we 

 shall enjoy a regular grant of $1500 per annum. It must be remem- 

 bered, however, that this will be a smaller sum than we have been 

 receiving, and that if we are to thrive a larger membership is absolutely 

 necessary. The permanent fund has been increased during the year 

 by $150, the fees paid by three life members. 



