XXXII ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



report by Mr. O'SuUivan, Director of Surveys, P.Q., on the territory, 

 rivers aud resources of the country between the Height of Lund north- 

 ward of Quebec and James Bay ; a pap;3r by M. Bailhiirgô on Yon 

 Schroen's pretended discovery of organic life in crystals ; Honourable 

 M. Nantel's homestead scheme for the province of Quebec, and a letter 

 to that gentleman from the undersigned expressive of the fact that the 

 carrying out of the pi'oject will be eminently conducive to the suppression 

 of the cry for communism and socialism, and its concomitant evils of 

 discontent and dynamiting as a remedy for existing evils ; M. LeVas- 

 seur's inaugural address and retrospactive view of the hibours of the 

 society since its inception in 1879, or during the last eighteen years ; 

 an article by Mr. Hammond, from the Wew York Jounial, expressive 

 of that gentleman's views on the amelioration of the climate of the 

 New England States by a barring or damming of the Strait of Belle 

 Isle — a subject alluded to some ten or more years ago by M. 

 Baillairge et al., and again synoptically rehearsed as to its softening 

 etfect on the climate of the ^.urrounding country and territory about 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; the analogy between the tempering etîects 

 of the " Grulf Stream " on the climate of the British Isles and of 

 the western coast of Europe, and of the contrary or refrigerating etfects 

 of the return Arctic current pouring through the Strait of Belle Isle into 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrenee, on the climate of Anticosti, as conveyed in a 

 letter of M. Baillairge to I^. LoVasseur, M. Menier's manager or agent 

 in the colonization and exploitation of the island, and suggestive of the 

 necessity, or apropos of M. Menier, who can well atlord it, and in his 

 own pecuniary and other interests, as in those of the inhabitants of the 

 island, having the effect of the closing of the Belle Isle Strait reported o\\ 

 by European and American soientists, as to the probable climatic etfects 

 which the execution of such a scheme, estimated to cost some $9.000,000, 

 would bring about, and in how far such expenditure would be warranted 

 by the concomitant advantages, not only to Anticosti, but to all the gulf 

 surrounding territories. 



The volume of transactions is illusti-ated with portraits of Honour- 

 able S. N. Parent, lately sworn in as a member of the Marchand Govern- 

 ment, who was made patron of the society, in considei'ation of the society 

 having obtained from him, as mayor of the city of Quebec, a room for 

 its lil)rary and sittings in the new City Hall, Quebec, and to Avhich the 

 society would invite the attention of members of thç Eoj^al Society 

 desirous of consulting its exchanges from almost, every civilized country 

 of both continents, as well of Australia, Iceland, etc. We also present 

 portraits of Dr. Bell, M.D. and have reiiroduced some of the engravings 

 from his last report to the Dominion Government ; of Mr. Low, the 

 hardy explorer of the Labrador territory ; of Mr. O'Sullivan, already 

 mentioned ; of M. Bignell, our pioneer Canadian surveyor and explorer of 



