INTRODUCTION. 



[1862. 



was a passion, and whose inspiration had aheady appeared by 

 the glorious creations of Titian and Riffaelle, and Michael Angelo. 



The earth and every common sij:hl 



To fliem did seem 

 Apparelled in celeslia! ligbl, 



Ihe glory and the ireshiie^js of a dream. 



■ These societies spread over Italy with such rapidity, that before 

 the end of the sixteenth century there was one in almost e\ery 

 city of importance: nor was it long before the other countries of 

 Europe were animated by the same spirit. In Spain, the Acad- 

 emy of the Wonders of Nature was founded in 1552. A similar 

 society, with the same name, was established at Vienna in the 

 same year. Our own Royal Society of London, the foundation 

 of which was laid as early as 1645, dates its incorporation from 

 1662. Lastly, Colbert founded what is now the Institute Nationale 

 of France in 1666. Thus, within the short space of fourteen 

 yeare did these four Moscea Minervce* spring forth, as it were, 

 from the head of Eurojie, not quite like the Goddess of Wisdom, 

 full armed and radiant, exempt from the weakness of infancy, 

 and the errore of youtli, but possessed at least with one of her 

 highest lessons, an humble estimation of their actual knowledge, 

 an un;|uenchable desire for further light. We need scarcely 

 remind the reader, that the Royal Society of London was the 

 honoured mstruraent of giving to the world the Principia of 

 Newton ; that from its funds, and from the assistance of its first 

 members, was Flamstead enabled to commence those observations 

 which have made Greenwich the classic ground of Astronomy : 

 that wherever these institutions have existed, they have awakened 

 talents which, but for them might never have been aroused ; have 

 promoted enquiries which individuals could not have conducted, 

 and given to the world investigations and discoveries which, 

 without their aid might never have seen the light. These truths 

 are too familiar to be questioned, and without intending to pursue 

 the history of learned societies, we have referred to them here to 

 point out a legitimate deduction from them, namely, the impor- 

 tance of organizing an association capable of fidfiUing those 

 functions in our own community. 



It can scarcely be denied that the pursuit and cultivation of 

 the Physical Sciences has made comparatively little progress in 

 Canadii, and by no means attained the established place which 

 might have been looked for at this stage of our history. It is 

 true that two Societies, directed more or less to this subject, have 

 existed in Lower Canada for more than twenty years — the 

 Literary and Historical Society at Quebec founded in 1824, and 

 the Natural History Society of Montreal founded in 1827, but 

 we have the highest authority for inferring that the latter at least 

 has not as yet realized the expectations of its zealous found- 

 ers, nor can the hist Report of the authorities of the former, be 

 deemed entirely satisfactory. Neither has practically exercised 

 any influence in Upper Canada. But a short time ago, a cele- 

 brated naturalist had occasion to compare the skeleton of a recent 

 specimen of the Delphimis Leucas, or Beluga, with some remains 

 found under equivocal geological circumstances in the State of 

 Vermont. In vain did he enquire of every collection with which 

 he was acquainted, in America ; the unwieldy rarity he sought 



'Mvseiun Miiifrva was Ihe designation of n College or Academy 

 foimileil liv Chailes Ihe 1st. in 163.5, (or the cnllivalion of the Physical 

 ScieiieeSj but which fell to Ihe ground m the troubles of that unlinppy reign. 



was no where to be heard of At last he remembered a museum 

 in Copenhagen unrivalled for its riches in marine mammalians. 

 With the cordial liberality of a brother philosopher, the distin- 

 guished naturalist who presides over that establishment, promptly 

 met his request for a specimen, and the precious remams were 

 shipped witli much precaution, in a number of boxes and barrels, 

 and duly wafted from Denmark to Massachusetts. Then, and not 

 until then, did M. Agasssiz, the naturalist in question, become 

 aware of the f;ict that the Delphimis Leucas under the name of 

 the White Whale is one of the commonest frequenters of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence, and that an easy journey to the banks of 

 our noble river, would have placed him in possession of any 

 number of specimens his researches might have required. Need 

 we say that such a fiict speaks volumes as to the neglect among- 

 us of those pursuits by which, not only are the productions of a 

 country laid open to the use and enjoyment of its people, but the 

 chaimels of scientific information kept also replenished with that 

 knowledge of local peculiarities which is so indispensable to the 

 progress of science. 



We have referred above to the comparative non-success of the 

 Elder Societies in Canada not in ignorance of the ability and intel- 

 ligence with which ever since their formation,one zealous President 

 or Secretary after another, has endeavoured to animate them to suc- 

 cessful exertion, still less to undei-value those endeavour's, but to en- 

 quire in perfect respect into the cause of a circumstance so frankly 

 and honourably admitted by both, and the probability that the Ca- 

 nadian Institute of Upper Canada — the Society to whose recent or- 

 ganization we are about to refer, will be enabled to avoid a like 

 result. First, then, it seems probable that the great vice of Society in 

 America, that "eternal Sabbathless pursuit of a man's fortune," 

 so long ago denounced ; which leaves to the mind neither leisure, 

 taste or cajjacity, for the cultivation on which its happiness 

 depends, has not failed in its effect here ; not in reality devoting 

 much of our time to anything more profitable, or half sodehght- 

 ful as the cultivation of literary or scientific pursuits, we have 

 nevertheless grudged it to them, and have neglected the forma- 

 tion of those habits with which alone they are reconcileable. 

 Natural History and Botany have been abandoned almost 

 entirely to the members of an arduous and iU-remunerated pro-' 

 fession, verj' few of whom can command the leisure or even incur 

 the expenses essential to their active pursuit. The unwise habit 

 of overtasking the strength and energy of those engaged in In- 

 struction, or filling Professorial Chair's, as if the mind can expa- 

 tiate at large, while the body is bound to a tread-mill, has had 

 something to do with it. Scientific pureuits can never make 

 much progress while those who are professionally devoted to 

 them, are debarred, whether by unfortunate necessity or illiberal 

 pressure, the ojiportunities of self-improvement and private pro- 

 gress, which the ablest value the most. 



It rather appeare too, and we refer to this, because it is the 

 evil which it has been principally sought to avoid, in the con- 

 stitution of the Society just referred to, that the objects expressed 

 by the titles Natural History Society, and Literary and Histori- 

 cal Society, are too special to be able to stand alone in this 

 country at ]iresent. They do not include a multitude of objects 

 in which much of the most active talent in the country is engag- 



