"IV PROfEEDIXOS. 



University of Toronto, the biological characters of that region, and 

 especially of the marine waters of the neighborhood were being studied. 

 It is to be regretted that there were so few biologists of our own 

 province who were prepared to work at the station during these years 

 — two only having put in some time at the station. Next year it is 

 possible the station may be somewhere on the Northumbei'land Straits; 

 but whether it be on the Nova Scotian or the Prince Edward Island 

 side, it will be as accessible as it was during the past two years. The 

 work of the station has been hampered by the lack of sufficient grant 

 from the Dominion Government ; but it is hoped that this defect will 

 be remedied during the present winter. 



Another advance in the facilities of scientific instruction which 

 should be noted, is the Summer or Vacation School, which was opened 

 for the first time in the new and well equipped science building of 

 the Provincial Normal School, which functions also as the School of 

 Agriculture in affiliation with the buildings, appliances and stock of 

 the Provincial Farm at Truro. About sixty students took advantage 

 of the five weeks of chemical, biological and agricultural courses given 

 there in July and August. 



When we find that the Summer School of Science for the Atlantic 

 Provinces of Canada, which met on this occasion at St. Stephen, New 

 Brunswick, was also very largely attended, and that our Colleges 

 •(Dalhousie with its now Mining School, especially), as well as high 

 schools are enlarging their facilities for giving good scientific instruc- 

 tion ; and that there is a general sentiment abroad that we should lav 

 more stress upon the development of the power to discover truth aud 

 apply it in useful action, than on the power of imagining and its 

 expression : — when we see these signs we have I'eason to believe that 

 we are going to make more progress 



RECOMMENDATION. 



To return to our Institute again, I beg to suggest, that we may be 

 more useful if we make our monthly meetings more popular. The 

 popular f)resentatiou of subjects might be more simple and ele- 

 mentary ; and their function would be the inspiration of young 

 members to commence a course of special investigation. Such presen- 

 tations would not be published in our Transactions, of conrse ; for the 



