PEOCEEDINGS FOR 1892. VII 



111 accordance with the recommendation of the Society at the May meeting in Montreal, the 

 Council appointed a committee to make arrangements, if possible, for the holding of the present 

 general meeting in the city of Toronto. After consultation with the Mayor and members of the Citj' 

 Council of that city, the committee found that there was no disposition whatever to make such 

 provision for the attendance of Fellows and Delegates as the Society had every reason to expect would 

 be made when they recommended the acceptance of the invitation of the previous City Council of 

 1891. Under these circumstances it has been deemed expedient to hold the present session as usual 

 in Ottawa, and to report the cause of the failure of proposed visit to meeting without making any 

 comment thereon, except to express the surprise that the new council of Toronto did not consider 

 itself in any way bound to pay some respect to the unsolicited invitation of its predecessor. Its 

 action stands out in strong contrast with that of the citizens and council of the metropolitan city of 

 Montreal. 



Following the practice commenced at the Montreal meeting of last May, the Council have made 

 arrangements for the delivery of a public lecture on a subject of pi'actical interest to the Canadian 

 peojjle. The subject chosen for this meeting is " Science in Schools" as recommended by one of the 

 Sections last year, and the lecturer is Professor T. Wesley Mills. His Excellency the Governor-General 

 has kindly consented to be present on this occasion, and special invitations have been issued to all 

 those engaged in the practical work of education in this city. 



The attention of the Council has been directed to the advisability of inviting the members of the 

 Geological Society of America to hold their December meeting of this year, in this city. The season 

 is hardly opportune for the meeting of scientific gentlemen who would naturally wish to see some- 

 thing of the geological characteristics of the Ottawa Valley, but nevertheless the Council refer the 

 whole matter to the consideration of the Society. 



The Council regret to have to announce that letters have been received from Monseigneur Begin, 

 Monsignor Hamel, and Professor Johnson, explaining their absence from the present meeting. 

 These gentlemen have been most assiduous in their attendance since the formation of the Society, and 

 the Council, while regretting their absence, feel that it is unavoidable in their case. The meetings of 

 Parliament and of the Quebec Legislature at this time also interfei-e more or less with the regular 

 attendance of members. It seems practically impossible to secure the presence of a majoi-ity of a 

 Society, whose members are, for the most part, necessarily engaged in the laborious vocations of 

 official and university life. It would be well, however, for some members to bear in mind that they 

 owe certain responsibilities in making the Society successful, and that the position is not purely 

 honorary. 



While on this matter the Council also find it advisable to call attention to the strict regulations 

 that the railway companies of (Janada now make with reference to deductions on fares, to members 

 of all societies. The circulars duly forwarded to Fellows and Delegates show that if fifty members 

 travel over the railways and attend the meeting a deduction of two thirds is made on the return fare, 

 if less than fifty members, then the deduction is only one-third. No better arrangement can be 

 made under existing circumstances, as no special favour can be expected for the Royal Society. The 

 Society is now pecuniarily responsible for any infringement of the regulations of the railways. 



The Council, in view of the great disadvantages to which the Fellows, who live in the distant 

 parts of the Dominion are subject, deem it expedient that all those who live east of Quebec and west 

 of Toronto should be reimbursed by the Society from its available funds for ti-avelling expenses east 

 and west of those points. In this way, a few members in the Maritime Provinces and in the west, 

 will be ])laced on exactly the same footing as those who live in Quebec, Kingston, ilontreal and 

 Toronto. 



The following is a complete list of the associations now affiliated with the Royal Society and of 

 the delegates whose names have been duly forwarded to the Society ; — 



