THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 1 5 



be studied at a time, and there should be no attempt in our public 

 school grades to exhaust all the difficulties of one subject before 

 passing to another. The pupil's promotion should be determined 

 by the teacher's opinion of his fitness for higher work, and no attempt 

 made by persons otherwise unacquainted with the pupils to grade 

 them according to their ability to answer a few questions, as at 

 present. [The paper has since appeared in the form of a series of 

 letters to the Toronto Globe?\ 



Considerable discussion followed, for the most part concerning 

 the qualifications of teachers and the methods of examination. 



The chairman announced the formation of two sections, one for 

 the study of Physics and Chemistry, the other for the discussion of 

 questions in Philosophy. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



IFEDKESDAT, DECEMBER 9th, 1891. 



REGULAR MEETING. 



The President, Mr. Alexander, in the chair. 



The minutes of the last regular meeting, and of the special 

 meeting of November 26th_ were read and confirmed. 



John M, Eastwood, W. Sanford Evans, A. E. Manning. Wm. 

 Mole, M. R. C. V. S., Wm. Myles and A. C. Turnbull were elected 

 ordinary members of the Association. 



Two applications for membership were received. 



A paper entitled "Canada: Its Canals and Waterways,'" was 

 then read by H. B. Witton. The first part of the paper contained 

 an interesting narrative of the discoveries of Cartier, Champlain, 

 La Salle, and the Jesuit fathers in the watercourses tributary to the 

 St. Lawrence. Next followed a brief account of the methods of 

 trade in Canada in the early days ; then of the construction of our 

 various canals. The first of the series was constructed at the Cas- 

 cades in the years 1779-83 ; the survey for the Sault Ste. Marie 

 canal was made in 1797; the Lachine rapids were overcome in 

 1825 ; and the first Welland canal was opened by private owners in 

 1829. All these works have since been improved, some of them 

 many times, and to them have been added the Chambly, Ottawa 

 River, Rideau, and Trent Valley canals. The paper closed with a 

 statement of the character and annual amount of the trade on the 



