PROCEEDINGS. Ill 



of learned societies, has been exceedingly successfnl. Many of the societies which 

 have been corresponding with us for many years have done what they conld to 

 complete our sets of their publications ; so that we now possess many whole 

 series of such publications, in some cases entirely, and in many practically per- 

 fect. Of the 300 new institutions requested to exchange with us, a large number 

 have already complied, and additional acceptances of our proposal are being re- 

 ceived by every foreign mail. Only three have refused, two being societies devo- 

 ted to subjects which our former nariie seemed to exclude from the range of our 

 activity, and one a society having no publications available for exchange. Many 

 of these societies have sent us their publications for several years back as well ag 

 those for the current year, we, of course, sending them our back publications in 

 exchange. The influx of publications has been so large that our bills for book- 

 cases during the past year have been as great as in the whole past history of the 

 Institute, and the work of receiving, registering and arranging has been a severe 

 tax on the time of the members of the Council who have volunteered to do it. 



The additions thus made to our library vary of course in value, but all are of 

 some value, and some are of the very highest value as works of reference for the 

 use of men engaged in research in the subjects of which they treat. The subjects 

 are for the most part restricted to the natural and physical sciences, for we have 

 not thought it wise to ask societies to exchange with us, which were devoted to 

 subjects not represented in our Transactions. But already we have on our list 

 societies devoted to such applied sciences as mining, engineering, mechanical arts 

 generally, medicine and agriculture. 



I am glad to have this opportunity of expressing our appreciation of the 

 generosity with which British and foreign societies, but especially foreign societies, 

 have responded to our appeal. Our own publication is a very modest one, but 

 in exchange for it we receive, in a great many cases, works of far greater magni 

 tude and cost and scientific value. They might fairly have replied that the 

 exchange we proposed was an unfair one, that we could not give a quid -pro quo, 

 but with true liberality they send us their weighty volumes in the hope that they 

 may aid in stimulating scientific research in our Province. 



Encouraged by the success which has attended our elforts to build up a scien- 

 tific library, we have become more ambitious during the year, and when the time 

 came to make arrangements for the publication of the Proceedings and Transactions 

 of the past session, the council decided to strike off 1000 copies, and to endeavour 

 to effect exchange relations with all important societies everywhere. To carry 

 out this scheme, however, our income was not sufficient. We accordingly laid 

 our plans before the local government, pointing out the great importance of a 

 scientific library to the development of the resources of the country, and asked an 

 increase of our annual grant. We were met in the most liberal spirit. The mem- 

 bers of the government shewed a keen appreciation of the importance of what we 

 aimed at, and an addition of .*!100was made to our usual grant. Thus increased, 

 we hope our income will be sufficient to enable us to make our own Transactions 

 more valuable by the provision of lithographed plates when they are necessary 

 for illustration, and to cover the cost of transmitting our publications to corres^ 

 ponding societies, and of binding up and rendering otherwise available for use what 

 we may receive in return. 



