180 



The Hon. Geo. B. Loring having come in, took the chair, and addressed the meeting 

 at some length, in general terms, upon the importance of forestry to the American and 

 Canadian peoples and its bearing upon the interests of agriculture, the great industry of 

 both countries. 



Mr. Joly said Canadians ought to be grateful to our American friends for holding 

 their Congress in this city. He must confess that the address of the Hon. Mr. Loring 

 had completely dispelled any false notions he had hitherto entertained concerning our 

 American neighbours. We were accustomed to look upon them as a people devoted to 

 the pursuit of the almighty dollar, but we had just had abundant evidence that in no 

 country was the worship and love of nature, of country and of home more general and 

 more intense than among our American friends. We could grasp them by the hand and 

 rejoice to labour with them in the promotion of the interests of forestry and kindred 

 objects. Although not a citizen of Montreal, the people of this city had deputed him to 

 speak in their name, and in this capacity he now bid our American friends God speed, 

 and thanking them again for their visit, hoped to see them often hereafter on the same 

 noble, patriotic and humanitarian errand. 



The meeting then dispersed. 



August 23 d. 



The Forestry Congress met at their rooms on St. James' Street at half-past nine 

 o'clock, the Hon. Mr. Joly in the chair. 



Preventing Forest Fires. 



The Hon. Mr. Bryson presented the report of the Committee appointed to memorialize 

 the Government wit'a reference to preventing forest fires. The report recommended, first, 

 the reservation of all pine and spruce lands, unfit for settlement, for lumbering purposes 

 exclusively ; second, prohibition of the burning of brush by settlers in the vicinity of fir 

 trees during the months of May, June, September and October ; third, the division of the 

 timber country into districts, and the appointment of police under a superintendent with 

 magisterial powers, whose duty it shall be to detect and punish offenders, and provide for 

 the extinguishment of fires ; fourth, the cost of maintenance of this protective force might 

 partially be met by the imposition of a moderate tax on the parties owning or leasing 

 timber lands. 



The report was adopted. 



Election of Officers. 



The Congress then proceeded to the election of officers, as follows : — Hon. Mr. Loring,! 

 President ; Hon. H. G. Joly, 1st Vice-President ; Dr. J. A. Warder, 2nd Vice-President;] 

 W. S. Little, Montreal, Secretary ; John S. Fay, Massachusetts, Treasurer. 



Prof. Hough suggested St. Paul as the place of next meeting of Congress. It wa3^ 

 generally thought desirable to have the meeting at or aboutthe same time and place as the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, and it was the general opinion 

 that its next meeting would be in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 



It was resolved that the fixing of time and place of next meeting be left to the 

 Executive Committee. 



Mr. Hicks moved that the Executive Committee appoint referees to prepare papers 

 on legislation with regard to forest fires, prevention and control of forest fires, distribution, 

 technology and forest management of the white pine. 



The motion was carried. 



Votes of Thanks. 



Votes of thanks were then tendered to the Governments of Ontario and Quebec for 

 the interest taken by them in sending delegates to the Congress ; to the Mayor of Montreal 

 and citizens generally for the interest taken by them on this occasion ; to the press for 



