June 22, 18S3.] 



SCIENCE. 



561 



FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1883. 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 



The Eoyal society of Canada held its second 

 annual meeting in the Parliament house tit 

 Ottawa on May 22-25, under the presidency 

 of Dr. J. W. Dawson. This societ}' was or- 

 ganized, as our readers maj' know, a year since, 

 under the auspices of the governor-general of 

 Canada, the Marquess of Lome, and includes 

 four academies or sections, each with twenty 

 members and a sectional president or chairman. 

 These sections are as follows : I. French litera- 

 ture, history-, etc. ; II. English literature, his- 

 tory, etc. ; III. Mathematical, physical, and 

 chemical sciences ; IV. Geological and bio- 

 logical sciences. Their presiding officers for 

 the past year were respectively, J. M. Lemoine, 

 Daniel Wilson, T. Sterry Hunt, and A. R. C. 

 Selwyn ; the general officers of the society be- 

 ing, J. W. Dawson, president ; P. J. O. Chau- 

 veau, vice-president ; .1. G. Bourinot, honorarj' 

 secretary ; and J. R. Grant, honorary treasurer. 



There was a good attendance, about two- 

 thirds of the members being present, besides 

 which were numerous delegates from various 

 local literary and scientific societies throughout 

 the Dominion. These, by the rules of the Royal 

 society, are entitled to appoint each j-ear a dele- 

 gate to attend Ihe annual meeting, and present 

 a report of their work and progress. In ad- 

 dition to these, various foreign societies were 

 invited to send delegates ; in response to which. 

 Dr. T. Sterrj' Hunt had been charged to repre- 

 sent the National academy of sciences, and Pro- 

 fessor Alpheus Hyatt came in behalf of the 

 American academj' of Boston. The Institut 

 of France had appointed Mr. Xavier Marmier, 

 ,of the Academie fran9aise, their delegate ; and 

 the French government had offered to send him 

 at the expense of the state, but sudden illness 

 prevented his presence. 



After organizing in general session on Tues- 

 day, the society at once divided into its four 

 sections, and proceeded to the reading and dis- 

 cussion of papers, to which were devoted the 

 first two days, with the exception of Wednes- 

 day morning. This was set apart for the pub- 

 No. 20. — 1883. 



lie exercises of the whole societj^, which then 

 assembled in the Senate chamber of the Parlia- 

 ment house, the Marquess of Lome and the 

 Princess Louise being present. The Marquess, 

 to whose zeal for the advancement of letters 

 and science the inception of the societ}' is due, 

 made an address of welcome, congratulating the 

 society on the success which had attended its 

 first year's work. He informed them that the 

 Queen had been graciouslj' pleased to accord 

 to it the title of the Royal society of Canada ; 

 that Parliament had granted it an act of incor- 

 poration, and, moreover, voted an annual sum 

 of five thousand dollars for the publication of 

 its proceedings and transactions. 



After pointing out the examples of munifi- 

 cence shown in the encouragement of science 

 bj' the federal and state governments of the 

 United States, he gave much advice as to the 

 future conduct of the new society, all Of which 

 was characterized by the eminent good sense 

 and practical wisdom which distinguishes him. 

 He urged the members of the society to sink 

 all sectional differences and distinctions of 

 province, creed, or race, and aim only at a 

 higher standard of excellence in letters and in 

 science. 



Dr. J. W. Dawson then gave his address as 

 president. After a review of the work already 

 done in letters and science in the Dominion, 

 he spoke of the desirableness of a great na- 

 tional museum at Ottawa, and then proceeded 

 to speak in eloquent words of the mutual rela- 

 tions of letters and science. We take the fol- 

 lowing extract from a report in the Montreal 

 gazette of principal Dawson's speech : — 



"In conclusion, he referred to the connection of 

 science with literature. The two departments were 

 in this society intimately associated, the literary sec- 

 tions being in some sense scientific as well. Science 

 has a literature of its own, great and increasing, 

 which competes with history and fiction for the popu- 

 lar eye and ear. Nature, rather than art, is the foun- 

 dation of the best literature. It is on this, rather 

 than on the graces of composition, or the tricks of 

 style, or the flowers of imagination, that enduring 

 literary fame must be built. This is especially the 

 case in a country where history has been and will be 

 marked out by its physical features and resources, 

 and where our real poetry is that of our great rivers 



