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THIs volume is intended as a special memorial of the completion of 
the first fifty years of the history of The Canadian Institute. The intro- 
ductory article by Sir Sandford Fleming deals with the origin and early 
days of the Institute, and is of special interest as a record of affairs in 
which he was an actual participant; affairs as to which he can more 
than any other now living say, guorum pars magna fut. He brings the 
record down to 1853, when the Institute had passed the critical stage of 
infancy and was fairly launched on a career which, with the vicissitudes 
which attend all mundane things, has on the whole been satisfactory. 
It is not intended to detail the subsequent history of the Institute; that 
would be too tedious, and would possess but little interest,except per- 
haps toa few. It may be well, however, in this place to note a few 
facts by way of summary. 
In 1855 took place the union with the Toronto Atheneum. This 
brought a considerable accession to the membership, and the books 
belonging to the Athenzeum were the nucleus of a library that has now 
become, perhaps, the most nearly complete scientific reference library in 
the Dominion. 
In the same year the Hon. G. W. Allan presented the Institute with 
a site for a building on Pembroke Street. It was gratefully accepted 
but was afterwards re-conveyed to Mr. Allan and the present site 
on Richmond Street was purchased in 1863. _ Plans for a building 
were at once prepared, but the Institute did not find itself financially 
able to proceed with its construction until 1875, when the work was . 
begun and carried to completion in 1876, very largely through the per- 
sistent efforts of Professor Loudon, now President of the Toronto 
University. 
It is somewhat curious to note that in 1859 there was a proposal to 
change the name to The Royal Society of Canada, or The Royal 
Academy of Sciences of Canada. The Governor-General did not look 
on the proposal favourably and it was dropped. 
