642 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. VI. 
were resplendent with the national colors. The guests began to arrive 
shortly before eight o’clock, and were conducted to the assembly hall, 
where a short programme of congratulatory speeches was carried through. 
Afterwards the laboratories and museums of the school were thrown 
open and highly interesting experiments were conducted by the students, 
who were present in force. The Band of the 48th Highlanders was 
stationed in the lower hall, and excellent music was rendered as the 
guests threaded their way from one entertaining scene to another. 
Members of the Council of the Canadian Institute and several students 
of the School of Practical Science pointed out the places of inter st and 
gave information regarding the working of the scientific apparatus. 
Questions were profusely asked and liberally answered, and each guest 
found many objects to which he might devote attention. Surprise and 
wonder were mixed with intense curiosity as to the purpose and use of 
the many wonderful instruments which constitute the equipment of 
Ontario’s greatest scientific institution. The attractive features of the 
evening’s varied entertainment were discussed to the accompaniment of 
delicious refreshments, served by Webb in the draughting rooms. Half 
an hour before midnight the conversazione was brought to a close, and 
the delighted guests showered congratulations upon their learned hosts.” 
The chair was taken by the President, B. E. Walker, Esq., F.G.S., 
who spoke as follows :— 
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen :— 
We are to celebrate to-night the fiftieth anniversary of a scientific 
society. This would not be a very notable event in an old country, but 
it is a most unusual one in Canada. Fifty years in a rapidly growing 
young country is long enough to give comparative antiquity to the early 
years of the period, even if the past half century had not been so prolific 
in scientific achievement. 
In 1849 the population of Upper Canada was less than 800,000 and 
of Toronto less than 25,000. We had practically no manufactures, only 
a few miles of railway, few banks—with very trifling deposits. All that 
we had in plenty were land and debts. The religious quarrels over our 
early universities were abating just enough to make first attempts at 
higher education possible, and the future school systems were slowly 
taking shape. Our Geological Survey had been established six years, - 
and there was not, I think, a scientific journal in Upper and Lower 
Canada. True, the Literary and Historical. Society of Quebec had 
published Scientific papers as early as its first volume in 1829, but it did 
i hl a tel 
es. ee eT ee 
