260 



COREESPONDENCE. 



been decided iu our favor, by the mere wavering, as it ^vere, of a ba- 

 lance, -svliicli a iiiomeut's delay or a brief indiscretion might have 

 turned against us, then truly every shareholder of this Company, every 

 inhabilaut of each town and city on the line, ought to rejoice at the re- 

 sult. 



Your Board feel that they have done their duty, and they yield up 

 their charge in the full eonndeucc, that their acts will meet with the 

 entire approbation of the stockholders, and their fellow citizens 

 generally." 



All which is respectfully submitted. 



By order, 



S, THOMPSON, 



Secretary. 

 Toronto, June G, 1853. 



Hamilton and Toronto Railway Company. 



EEPORT OF THE BOAKD OF DIIIECTORS. 



The Directors place before the Sh.ireholders a statement of the ac- 

 counts made up to the 3 1 st May, by which it will appear that only pre- 

 liminary cx]_icuses have yet been mcurred. The contract with an emi- 

 nent English contractor Jias been approved of and adopted by the Di- 

 rectors ; and arrangements are iu progress for vigorou.sly prosecuting 

 the worlc. The Directors have to report that they have arranged to 

 lease the Line when finished to the Great Western Railway Company, 

 at a rent of 6 per cent, on the guaranteed cost of }he road, and an equal 

 participation iu any dividend lieyond 6 per cent, that the Great Wes- 

 tera Railway may pay to its shareholders, and which lease they 

 strongly recommend Ibr the adoption of the annual meeting of Share- 

 holders. The Dii'ectors have to congratulate the shareholders on the 

 contemplated an-angements between the Great Western Railway Com- 

 pany and the Grand Trunk Company, by which rivalry, injurious 

 alike to the public and to the shareholders, will be avoided, and the 

 stability of Railway property in Canada secured. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 



ROBERT W. HARRIS, 



President. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



[1853 



main chance, and suffered his parents, relations, and neighbours, to 

 migrate to their annual resort for the winter, and that my poor friend 

 was truly tlie lad Robin of Summer, or rather Autunm, left shivering 

 alone. 1 ciilkd tlic attention of my family to the affecting fact, when 

 general sympathy was felt for the solitary bird, and fear expressed 

 that the intensity of the cold would number him with the dead. 



Fortunately, the berries of the mountain ash in front of the house, 

 afforded an ample supply of food to Bob through the winter, till the 

 cedar-birds c:ime to feed on them, as they generally do towards the 

 end of the season. Several times a day he enjoyed his meal, with ap- 

 parent relish aud gratitude, alwaj's returning to his roost, which was 

 generally the lowest branch of a plum or cherry tree, in the rocky part 

 of the flower garden. 



On intensely frigid days, with a piercing cold wind, or when the 

 mercury was down to ten or twenty degrees below zero, the effect 

 on poor Bob was truly affecting to witness. Once or twice especially, 

 while perched on the cherry tree, the frigidity of the atmosphe-e had 

 so thickened his blood and benumbed his frame, that he could not 

 maintain his pioper roosting position ; but with feathers ruffled, and 

 head dropping gradually lower and lower — ;just like a person nodding 

 while dozing, but raising up his head less aud less high, as sleeps gets 

 the mastery — gave sad intimation that the last fatal sleep of death was 

 upon him ! when, lo ! he would rouse himself as if by a desperate ef- 

 fort, and, recovering his vivacity and strength, have recourse to his fa- 

 vorite and only remaining food, without which he certainly must have 

 perished. 



His nocturnal repose, I have reason to believe, was in a neighboring 

 barn or stable, distant some twenty rods, since his flight about dusk 

 was in that direction, and from thence back again at twihght, a.m. 



Thus like a brave pilot, he weathered the storms and bitter cold of 

 winter, unscathed by their severity. When Spring came, with there- 

 turn of his wiser aud more lavored kindred, we lost sight of our fea- 

 thered hero, who had given ample proof how much hardness he could 

 endure. 



It would have afforded us much pleasure could we have related 

 the warm congratulations of his brethren, on again recognizing this 

 long lost member of their tratemity — ihe last Robin of Summer. 



RICHARD WHITWELL. 



Philipsburgh, 22ml April, 1853. 



"Rara Avis." 



To the Editor of the Canadian Journal : 



Sir, — I was highly interested in the account of the Land Birds win- 

 tering in the neighborhood of Toronto, read by G. W. Allan, Esq., Feb. 

 28th, 1853. Though aware that some of the birds enumerated might 

 winter with us in the dense forests of cedar and hemlock iu Canada 

 east, yet, I had no idea that so great a variety, as twcntv. cnuld be 

 found near Toronto, although nearly two degrees more to the south. 



The perusal of Mr. Allan's paper brought to my mind an ornitholo- 



fical curiosity which characterized the winter of 1851-52, and which, 

 eing so verjr rare and uncommon, if not without a parallel, is certainly 

 worthy of being recorded. _ It is nothing luore nor less than the fact of 

 a Robin red-breast remaining with us about the Rectory, aud enduring 

 the rigours of the whole winter — by no means a mild one. At first 

 sight of the bird I could scarcely fjelieve my bodily vision ; yet was 

 soon convinced of what I imagined it to be, namely, what Thomson so 

 graphically portrays in liis " Winter," the season, in England, when 

 this general favorite seeks a more intimate acquaintance with the hu- 

 man family : 



" The red-breast, sacred to the household gods, 

 Wisely regardful of th' embroiling sky, 

 In joyless fields, and thorny thickets, leaves 

 His shivering mates, aud pays to trusted man 

 His annual visit. Half afraid, he first 

 Against the window beats ; then brisk alights 

 On the warm hearth ; then liopping o'er the floor. 

 Eyes all the smiling funily askance, 

 And pecks, and starts, ami wonders where he is : 

 'Till more familiar grown, llie table-cnnnlis 

 Attract his slender J'eet." 



1 was anxious to ascertain what had become of the otlicr robins, and 

 after the lapse of a day ot two, the melancholy conclusion was forced 

 upon me, that, sure enough, this careless child of nature had lost the 



Installation of the Chancellor of Tiinity College. 



Owing to the non arrival of the Steamer, in clue time on Thursday, by 

 which tlie Cliancellor elect was a passenger, the installation of the 

 Hon. J. Beverly Robinson, Chief Justice of Upper Canada, as the first 

 Chaucellor of tliis University did not take place until Friday last. 



At Ten o'clock, the Lord Bishop, the Chief Justice, the Provost 

 and heads of tlie University, the Students and company having as- 

 sembled in the College Chapel, the Liturgy was there said, after 

 which the Bishop, Clergy aud Students having adjourned to the Hall 

 where a large company was assembled, his Lordship took the Chair. 

 Shortly after the Chancellor entered in his splendid robe of office, the 

 gift to the College of various liberal friends. Immediately upon his 

 entrance, the Lord Bishop vacated the chair and the Cliancellor being 

 led thereto, took his seat, with the Lord Bishop aud the Archdeacon 

 of Kingston on his right, the \'ice Chancellor and Archdeacon of York 

 on his left. 



The Chancellor then proceeded to confer degrees when Messrs. 

 Badgley, Bethuue, HallowcU, Hodder, and Deazley, Medical Profes- 

 sors of the University were severally introduced by Dr. BovoU, and 

 having taken the oaths aud declarations, severally receivid their 

 degrees of M.D., in this Uiiivei'sity, ad cundcm, and also Dr. Bovell 

 who was presented by Dr. Badgley. 



Professor Hind then received the degree of M.A., and Mr. J. M. 

 Sti-athy that of Musical Bochelor. 



Tlie fill.iwing gentlemen also received the degree of B.A., Rev. 

 M(-sis. .Mini It," Ingles, Goddes, McKeuzie, and Messrs. Helliwell, 0. 

 Rol.iiiMiiL and Preston. Tile following being of sulticieut standing in 

 the College also received the degrees of M.A., Rev. Messrs. llerritt, 

 Geddes, McKenzie, Messrs. Helliwell aud C. Robinson. 



We cannot close our report of the proceedings of this day without 

 making mention that it h.aving been recollected that this was the fif- 



