PRESIDENT'S APDRESS. v 



In addition to the performance of extensive parish duties as a 

 clergyman, he took a prominent part in other church work. He edited 

 a religious monthly called Church Work, and also the Halifax Church 

 Chronicle. He was a Governor of King's College strongly opposing 

 its union with Dalhousie. In Digby he led a successful crusade 

 against the iniquitous system of " Farming out the Poor." He lectured 

 in Engl.-md for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the 

 Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. 



Amidst all these labors he found time to make science a recreation. 

 In January, 1864, he communicated his first paper to the Institute. It- 

 was followed by a series of papers, all relating to the birds and fishes 

 of St. Margaret's Bay a spot which should be as well known to our 

 Zoologists as Arisaig is to our Geologists. His paper on the Stormy 

 Petrel was republished more than once. 



In October, 1863, he was elected Associate Member, retaining that 

 position until 1881. Again in 1890 he was elected Corresponding 

 Member. 



Dr. Ambrose was a remarkably fine specimen of a man, physically, 

 mentally and morally a man to whom the leaders in any public move- 

 ment for the public good could appeal with the certainty of receiving 

 sympathy and support. 



While glancing over the records I made a few notes concerning 

 matters which struck my attention in our early history and which may 

 interest some of you. 



On the last day of the year 1862 the late J. Matthew Jones presided 

 at a meeting held in the hall of the Halifax Medical College There 

 were present, T. Belt, S. Gray, Dr. Gilpin, Wm. Gossip, K. G. 

 Haliburton, Capt. Lyttleton, H. Poole, Capt. Hardy, J. R. Willis 

 arid P. C. Hill. Of this company, so far as I know, all but one have 

 passed away. 



The object of the meeting was to organize an Institute of Natural 

 Science for Nova Scotia. This Institute grew out of another organiza- 

 tion which had done pioneer work in science. It may be said to have 

 been a development from the Halifax Mechanics' Institute, which, 

 under the inspiration of men like the late Andrew MacKmlay, did very 

 much to awaken the general public to an interest in the discoveries of 

 of science, which at that time were coming on like a November, meteoric 

 shower. 



