XIV ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



11. Champlain Ter-centenaey. 



The co'imei] earnestly recommends to the consideration of the 

 society the following letter received from Dr. W. F. Ganong. The 

 event to be celebrated is the first settlement on the Acadian shore 300 

 years ago, for, although the colony spent only one winter on St. Croix 

 Island it was moved as a body to Port Royal on Annapolis Basin and 

 even the timber of the buildings was removed. The event is no less 

 than the beginning of Canada; for, from that moment, Champlain, the 

 father and founder of Canada, took firm hold of this country and never 

 ceased to hold it until his death. The settlement to be commemorated 

 is also the first settlement by Europeans on this continent north of St. 

 Augustine. It was in 1604, three years before the first permanent 

 settlement at Jamestown in Virginia and sixteen years before the 

 landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth. It is a date ever to be 

 remembered in the history of Canada and of North America. 



The council recommends that the whole matter be referred to a 



committee with instructions to report as soon as possible during the 



present session. 



Northampton, Mass., April 27, 1903. 

 Br. S. E. Dawson, 



Acting Honorary Secretary of the Royal Society of Canada, 

 Ottawa, Canada. 

 My dear Dr. Dawson: — 



If I understand aright, there is a strong movement in St. John, N.B., 

 towards a fitting celebration in June, 1904. of the three hundredth anniversary 

 of the discovery of the St. John River by de Monts and Champlain, and an 

 important feature hoped for in the celebration is the presence of the Royal 

 Society of Canada. It is most desirable from every point of view, not only 

 that this celebration should be well carried out, taut that the Royal Society 

 should honor the city by its presence at that time and I trust both events 

 will be brought to pass. In view of this possibility, I desire to call your 

 attention to one possible feature of such a celebration which ought not to 

 be omitted, namely, a visit to St. Croix — or Dochet — Island, the site of 

 de Monts' settlement, the importance of which in Canadian history it is 

 not necessary here to emphasize. You will recall that de Monts and Cham- 

 plain on June 24th discovered the mouth of the St. John and two — or possibly 

 three — days later they reached St. Croix Island and established there the 

 sf-ttlement whose history is the history of the beginning of the permanent 

 settlement of Canada. It seems to me that a celebration at St. John which 

 omitted a visit to this island would not only be historically incomplete, but 

 would cause those interested to miss one of the greatsst attractions such 

 an event could have. The island lies in a region of great natural interest 

 and beauty, is easily reached from St. John, either by special steamer 

 requiring a journey of about four hours each way, or by rail from St. John 

 to St. Stephen or St. Andrews and thence by a charming steamer route 

 oi' a few miles to the island. There would thus be ample time in one day 

 to make the excursion which naturally should come on the 26th of June, the 



