256 APPOINTED ASSISTANT DIRECTOR 



gram. The night of the election, I sent the telegram that Sir John 

 was in with a large majority, and he immediately telegraphed me 

 that he would pay his debt. 



Spring came, and my eldest daughter was married in June, 

 1888, and I decided to take my other two daughters and Mrs. 

 Macoun to Prince Edward Island for the summer. We proceeded 

 to Brackley Beach, where there was a summer hotel, and a great 

 number of people summering. Amongst others, Mr. Abner 

 Kingman, of Montreal, and his family, and many others who were 

 enjoying themselves. Our experience there was the usual round 

 of occurrences that take place at summer hotels. We had fish- 

 ing and botany and over forty guests and family friends to make 

 it enjoyable, so that my time, as well as that of the ladies, was 

 fully employed. My work consisted of a thorough examination 

 of the Island flora, as well as other branches of natural history, 

 and the information I obtained and the material collected added 

 greatly to our knowledge of the Island for the next twenty years. 



On our return home in the autumn, I took sick and was in 

 poor health until March, when I started for Vancouver City, where 

 I intended to make a commencement on a Natural History Sur- 

 vey of the country. During the winter, while in poor health, I 

 considered the whole question and decided to make a beginning 

 towards gathering material for the future museum of which, at 

 that time, there was considerable talk. Up to this time, Mr. 

 Whiteaves and Herring had control of all the natural history 

 specimens excepting botanical ones. I had brought a number of 

 bird skins to the old museum when I came and Dr. Bell had made 

 large collections on Hudson's Bay in 1885, and Dr. Dawson had 

 made large collections of birds and mammals and sea life and, 

 especially, a large and valuable collection in ethnology, 

 including many specimens from Queen Charlotte Islands. All 

 these specimens were in charge of Mr. Whiteaves and, through 

 carelessness, the bird skins, obtained by myself, and Dr. 

 Bell and Dawson, were allowed to be destroyed by insects. I 

 made up my mind that now I would make a change and 

 informed Dr. Selwyn that from this time forward all material 

 collected by myself would remain in my charge and be given to 



