APPENDIX G CXXIII 
daughter, Mrs. Sullivan; and “ Life and Letters of Lord Sydenham,’ 
with which a second paper is bound, “ Extracts from an Original MS. 
Memoir of Capt. Freer, A.D.C. to H.R.H. the Duke of Kent, and Mil- 
itary Secretary during the War of 1812,” by Mrs. Gordon MacKenzie. 
In order to encourage a greater interest in, and knowledge of, our 
own writers and their works, selections have been read and brief epitomes 
of the lives of the authors given, at several of our meetings. The usual 
exchanges have been received and there has been a greater demand 
from libraries and other historical societies for our publications. Copies 
of No. 1 of our Transactions are now scarce. <A set of book cases has 
been purchased and, pending the accomplishment of our ambition to 
erect a memorial hall, these with other properties are kept at The 
Women’s Welcome Hostel, 66 Wellesley Street. A number of donations 
of drawings and old prints of historic buildings and ruins of interest 
to Canadians have been received. A representative calendar was issued 
and sold well at the beginning of the year, the proceeds being devoted 
to the memorial hall fund. To this end also the society was given 
the privilege of exhibiting Mrs. Agnes Chamberlin’s large collection 
of Botanical Drawings of the Wild Flowers of Canada. This was held 
in the East Hall of the Toronto University, by the kind permission of 
the President. The Exhibition was opened by the Lt.-Governor, who 
spoke of the collection as of “great national value, and expressed a 
hope that it should never be separated but remain for some public insti- 
tion library or university to possess.” On the last day a very interest- 
ing lecture on Botany, illustrated by the drawings, was given by Prin- 
cipal Scott, of the Normal School, Toronto. The memorial fund now 
amounts to $3,725.00. The society has received its annual grant from 
the Provincial Government of $100.00. 
In common with your Society the Women’s Historical has had to 
mourn the loss by death of one of its oldest and most honoured honorary 
members in the late Wm. Kirby, F.R.S.C. It was with feelings of 
more than ordinary regret at his loss and appreciation of the services 
he had rendered, both by his pen and life, to Canada that a representa- 
tive wreath of roses, laurel and maple leaves was laid upon his grave 
by our members. In Alexander Muir, too, we have lost one whose 
memory will remain green while his “ Maple Leaf” is sung by our 
school children and soldiers in our, and other parts of the British 
Empire. 
The principal work undertaken by our society during the year 
being their energetic protest and use of their influence in conjunction 
with the Daughters-of the Empire, the Ontario Society and others with 
whom they co-operated, to prevent the destruction of the Old Fort et 
