PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. V 



publication department is for new knowledge. On the other hand, 

 much of the new knowledge gathered up will be interesting only to 

 those engaged in these departments ; so that the abstruse but valuable 

 paper might be read merely by title, to be published for the careful 

 reading of workers interested in these subjects throughout the world. 

 Hitherto our audience has been world-wide, but not local. It may be 

 more valuable, perhaps, to introduce the public into our local audiences 

 for the purpose of stimulating a more rapid increase of local recruits, 

 when we can soarrange it as not to interfere with the wider audiences, 

 and the recording and publication of the new facts discovered in the 

 survey of our own small corner of the universe. 



IMPKOVIXG FACILITIES. 



I have to note the great advantages which the Provincial Govern^ 

 ment has conferred on the scientific public and on all the industries 

 dependent on scientific knovvledge and skill, by the equipment of the 

 Provincial Science Library and its continued aid. The library has 

 been increasing rapidly from the exchanges of the Institute with all 

 the leading scientific societies of the world, from the co- operation of 

 the Mining Society, and from the direct addition of the most essential 

 books bearing on our provincial industries by the Government. 



Under the indefatigable and intelligent direction of the librarian 

 the library will soon be completely and most effectively catalogued. 

 The undetermined material in the Provincial Museum has also been 

 to a great extent examined, classified and labelled by the same indivi- 

 dual, Mr. Harry Piers, who to the duties of librarian and secretary of 

 our Institute adds that of the curator of the Museum. But not 

 content with the curatorship alone, he is constantly making an'ange- 

 ments for the increase of the collections with a view of illustrating the 

 natural history and iuvlustrial potentialities of the province as com- 

 pletely as possible. This work must go on for ever, of course ; but the 

 advance made during the past year is very creditable to the energy 

 and tact of our secretary. 



There are many signs of increasing interest in the exploration of 

 the natui'al history and resources of the pi-ovince, not onlv in the usual 

 quarters, but in connection with our public schools, which have already 

 made contributions to science in connection with their elementary local 



