LXXXVI ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



had existed in the section, and that the difficulty which had arisen was 

 therefore due to the erroneous information furnished in the circular. 

 The section therefore unanimously resolved to recommend the society to 

 confirm the election of Prof. Cox. 



In connection with his paper on a Dominion Hydrographie Survey, 

 Prof. Johnson brought before the section the draft of a petition Avhich 

 he intends to propose that the Eoj'al Society shall lay before the Cana- 

 dian government. The section unanimously expressed its approval both 

 of the proposal itself and of the draft of the petition submitted. 



The report of the council on the subject of the unification of time at 

 sea having been considered by Section III., the section unanimously 

 agreed to make the following recommendation : 



That as there is a reasonable prospect of the United States govern- 

 ment accepting the recommendations set forth in the sixth resolution of 

 the Washington Prime Meridian Conference of 1884, the council be 

 authorized and requested to take such fai-ther steps as may seem best 

 calculated to secure unity of time-reckoning at sea as on land ; and that, 

 with this end in view, a special request be made to the British Association, 

 when it meets at Toronto, to cooperate with the Eoyal Society of Canada 

 and other Canadian societies in influencing Her Majesty's government to 

 adopt the proposed change on the first day of the new century and to 

 make such alterations as may be necessary in the Nautical Almanac as 

 tioon as practicable. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 



K F. Dupuis, 



President. 

 J. G. MacGtregor, 



Secretary pro tern. 



Report of Section IV. 



Section four has the honour to report a series of five successful 

 sessions. The attendance was fair, a majority of members of the section 

 being in attendance. Eight papers were read, illustrated and discussed, 

 together with the report of the Botanical Club of Canada, which is 

 specially affiliated to the section. 



The publication committee report a recommendation to publish the 

 following papers submitted to them : 



1. — « The Presidential Address : a review of Canadian Botanj^ from 

 1800 to 1896," by Professor D. P. Penhallow. 



2. — " On the Genus Lepidophloios as illustrated by Specimens from 

 the Coal Formation of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick," by Sir 'William 

 Dawson, LL.D., F.R.S., etc. 



3, — " ^J'he Bay of Fundy Trough in American Geological History," 

 by Professor L. W. Bailey. 



