lxvili REPORT—1885. 
On meeting again in Great Britain, the Council venture to express: 
to the General Committee their belief that the anticipations of a successful 
meeting, expressed in the Report presented at Montreal, have been fully 
justified by the results, and once more give utterance to the gratitude, 
which must be felt by all who visited Canada, for the liberal hospitality 
and cordial reception which welcomed them there. It will be long before 
this visit is forgotten, or the stimulus, which its exceptional circumstances 
gave to the energy and life of the Association, ceases to be felt. Towards 
the close of that Meeting the happy idea occurred to several members of 
the Association that it would be an appropriate memorial of the visit 
of the British Association to found a Medal at McGill University, to be 
given annually for proficiency in Applied Science. The idea, once started, 
was warmly espoused, and a subscription list was opened, with Lord 
Rayleigh, the President, as Treasurer, and Messrs. W. Topley and H. T.. 
Wood as Secretaries. The result has been that a sum of about 5001. 
will be transmitted to the authorities of the McGill University for invest-. 
ment. This will enable them to offer, as an annual prize, a Gold Medal 
and a sum of money. The first award has already been made. The- 
Council, acting nnder the powers conferred upon them by the General 
Committee on Nov. 11, 1884, have instructed Mr. Wyon to prepare, at 
the cost of the Association, a suitable die for the Medal. 
The Council, in virtue of the powers conferred upon them by the 
General Committee at Montreal, in regard to the report concerning 
Corresponding Societies, have formed the Corresponding Societies’ 
Committee. The Report of the Committee will be presented, and a con- _ 
ference of Delegates, appointed under the new rules, will be held during 
the present meeting. 
The following resolutions were referred by the General Committee to 
the Council for consideration and action, if desirable :— 
‘That the Council of the Association be requested to communicate 
with the Government of the Dominion of Canada in order (1) to call 
the attention of the Government to the absence of trustworthy informa- 
tion concerning the tides of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the adjoining 
Atlantic coast, and to the dangers which thence arise to the navigation ; 
(2) To urge upon the Government the importance of obtaining accurate 
and systematic tidal observations, and of tabulating and reducing the 
results by the scientific methods elaborated by Committees of the Associa- 
tion ; and (3) to suggest the immediate establishment of a sufficient 
series of observing stations on the coast of the Dominion.’ 
A memorial in accordance with the above resolution was adopted 
by the Council and forwarded to the Government of the Dominion of 
Canada. To this a reply was received from the Canadian Minister of” 
Marine, expressing regret that the Dominion Government were unable 
at the present time to undertake a special survey of the tides and currents 
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Council, however, are not without 
hope that the proposed observations may be regarded as deferred rather 
than as refused. 
‘ That the Council memorialise the Canadian Government as to the 
urgent necessity of encouraging investigation and publication of reports 
with respect to the physical characters, languages, social, industrial, and 
artistic condition of the native tribes of the Dominion.’ 
A memorial in accordance with the above was also adopted by the- 
Council and forwarded to the Government of the Dominion of Canada. 
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