644 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE, [VoL. VI. 
tunity afforded by this occasion, and yet I must be frank enough to ex- 
press my conviction that it is the duty of every prominent citizen in 
Toronto to be an ordinary or a life member of the Institute. 
On an occasion of this character the personal element in the his- 
tory of the Institute claims our attention. The roll of Presidents is so 
illustrious that I scarcely know whether to be more proud or alarmed at 
filling, for the moment, an office held by so many distinguished 
Canadians. The first President, after incorporation, was Sir Wil- 
liam Logan, who was also the first Director of our Geological Sur- 
vey. He was followed by Gen. Sir J. H. Lefroy, Sir John Beverley Rob- 
inson, the Hon. Geo. W. Allan, the Hon. W. H. Draper, Sir Daniel 
Wilson, Sir J. H. Hagarty, the Rev. John McCaul, Sir Oliver Mowat, 
the Rev. Dr. Scadding, President Loudon and others. 
I have mentioned that we have with us to-night, three of the first 
members of the Institute, Sir Sandford Fleming, Mr. Kivas Tully and 
Mr. Thomas Ridout. Sir Sandford Fleming was our first Secretary, and 
the real founder of the Institute. It was because he would not submit 
to failure that the Institute survived, and during these fifty years he has 
been its unvarying friend and supporter. In joining with us in celebrat- 
ing the jubilee of the Institute, I hope you will associate with it, in your 
minds, the three original members who are present with us to-night. 
Before asking the Governor General to address you, permit me to 
thank His Excellency for his presence and to greet most heartily all 
those who are here to-night as the guests of the Institute. 
His Excellency the Governor-General was accorded a warm recep- 
tion on coming forward to address the gathering. He said :— 
Ladies and Gentlemen,— 
I am very glad to have an opportunity of congratulating the 
Canadian Institute on its fiftieth birthday, for though the Institute is 
still on the youthful side of its fiftieth official anniversary (as it was not, I 
understand, in existence under royal charter till November, ’51), it may 
justly, I think, consider to-night its jubilee, dating from the summer 
of 49, when those few active minds, to which not only the Institute, but 
Canada also, owes so much, first drew up their prospectus. 
The Canadian Institute came into the world with no flourish of 
trumpets, like many other great societies. Its success has grown out of 
small beginnings. It has had to fight its way in its early days against 
want of support, want of public appreciation, and want of funds, but 
# 
é 
7 
i 
: 
ve 
hy Ss. ee 
=~ eS a ee 
