71 



by the members, as was evidenced by the small 

 number of tickets that had been taken — some forty 

 in all. At the October meeting following, the 

 Committee that had been appointed to revise the 

 Constitution, presented a report recommending var- 

 ious changes, which were finally adopted at the 

 meeting held January loth, 1869, and which pro- 

 vided for the abolition of the Charitable Committee 

 and the substitution of an Executive Committee, to 

 whom were delegated general powers in the super- 

 vision and management of the affairs of the Society. 

 At this time also it was provided that the initiation 

 fees of new members should go to the credit of the 

 Permanent Fund. Sir Edward Thornton, C. B., 

 H. B. M. Minister at Washington, was then elected 

 an honorary member of the Society, a compliment 

 which he highly appreciated, and his recognition of 

 the good work of the Society was doing was exem- 

 plified by an annual donation of fifty dollars, which 

 he made to its funds during the whole period he 

 represented Her Majesty in this country. 



The Executive Committee finding themselves 

 hampered by the Constitution in granting relief in 

 deserving cases which did not come within its rules, 

 determined in 1869 to form a Contingent Fund, 

 which should be open to subscriptions from all the 

 members and which would enable them to afford 

 assistance in extraordinary cases of destitution or 

 distress not strictly regular, or for aiding which the 



