, PROCEEDINGS. 



1882 he was nominated a foundation Fellow of the Royal 

 Society of Canada. (See obituary notice, Trans., viii, 

 p. xlvii; portrait in x, pt. 2.) 



WILLIAM GOSSIP. Born at Plymouth, England, in 1809; 

 died at Halifax, 5th April, 1889. He came to Halifax at 

 the age of thirteen, and in 1831 went to Pictou where he 

 published the "Pictou Observer" newspaper. He returned 

 to Halifax in 1834, and established a bookselling and pub- 

 lishing business which was continued till his death. For 

 some years he edited and published "The Times" newspaper 

 of Halifax. He was one of the original members of the 

 Institute and on 26th October, 1863, was elected secretary, 

 holding office till llth October, 1871, when he was succeeded 

 by Honeyman. The minutes during his secretaryship are 

 very full and interesting and contain items of scientific 

 value which never went into the printed Transactions. 

 From 1871 to 1874 he was a member of the council; from 

 1874 to 1878, vice-president; from 9th October, 1878 to 13th 

 October, 1880, the fourth president; and from then till 1889 

 again a member of the council or vice-president. From 

 the establishment of the society, therefore, he took a deep 

 interest in its affairs, and his services were specially acceptable 

 as editor of the Transactions, a duty which he assumed from 

 the first, his knowledge of printing and publishing being 

 valuable for this purpose. He contributed five papers to 

 the Transactions (four anthropological and one geological), 

 besides some addresses and miscellaneous notes. Not being 

 a scientific man by profession, he felt a diffidence in writing 

 on such subjects. The Institute, however, owes him much 

 for long and faithful service. (See obituary by Prof. Mac- 

 Gregor, Trans., vii, 319.) 



JOHN SOMERS, M. D., botanist. Born in St. John's, 

 Nfld., in 1840; died at Halifax, 13 March, 1898. He came 

 to Halifax in infancy and was educated at St. Mary's College. 

 In 1866 he graduated from Bellevue Medical College, New 



