June 27, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



1009 



importance of this new factor as well as to 

 the past and future of our country. 



James Loudon. 

 Univeksitt op Toronto. 



SECTION OF THE G-EOLOGWAL AND 

 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. 



The meeting of the Royal Society of 

 Canada at Toronto, May 26-29, was one of 

 great interest, especially so in regard to 

 the value and importance of the papers 

 and discussions in Sections 3 and 4, whose 

 particular province is the study of the nat- 

 ural and applied sciences. The meetings 

 were held within the precincts of the Uni- 

 versity of Toronto, whose ample halls and 

 well-equipped laboratories were placed 

 freely at the disposal of the Society. The 

 beautiful ' Queen City ' of Canada was 

 bright with blossoms and the fresh-tinted 

 foliage of the trees which so abundantly 

 adorn her broad avenues. A generous wel- 

 come was extended by her citizens to the 

 fellows and delegates of the Society who 

 represented Canada from Halifax to Win- 

 nipeg. The meeting lacked the genial pres- 

 ence and active inspiration of Sir John 

 Bourinot, the honorary Secretary, whose 

 serious illness was a matter of deep regret 

 to all. His rare executive ability and tact, 

 and the control which he has so wisely ex- 

 ercised in guiding the Society during the 

 twenty perilous years of its existence, are 

 shown in the position which it occupies 

 to-day. The stimulus which it has given 

 to original research and the world-wide 

 interest which the publication of its pro- 

 ceedings has awakened have been in a large 

 measure due to his fostering care and un- 

 remitting industry. 



Among the recommendations contained 

 in the report of the honorary Secretary 

 were the following: That everything pos- 

 sible should be done to preserve historical 

 sites in Canada; that systematic ethnolog- 

 ical work should be carried on; that the 



Canadian people should cooperate with the 

 people of the United States and Mexico in 

 determining the ninety-eighth meridian; 

 and that the operations of the Government 

 Marine Station of Biology should be con- 

 tinued and increased. During the meeting 

 committees considered several of these rec- 

 ommendations and emphasized their im- 

 portance in subsequent reports. 



The address of the president, Dr. Lou- 

 don, of Toronto University, on ' Research 

 in Universities, ' was a careful presentation 

 of the subject, showing what has been 

 done— and what has not been done— in 

 German, English, United States and Cana- 

 dian Universities. 



In Section 4 a large proportion of the 

 papers read embraced topics on the geology 

 of various sections of eastern Canada. One 

 of the most important of these was a paper 

 on the sites of ancient volcanic activity in 

 the neighborhood of the St. Lawrence Val- 

 ley, by Professor Frank D. Adams, of Me- 

 Gill University. After an introductory 

 reference to the recent outbreak on the 

 island of Martinique, Dr. Adams gave an 

 account of the general geological structure 

 and petrographical character of the series 

 of ancient volcanic hills which rise from 

 the Paleozoic plain to the east of Montreal. 

 These are eight in number and are arranged 

 along two parallel and almost straight 

 lines, evidently ancient lines of weakness. 

 Those situated on the most northerly of 

 these lines, commencing from Mount Royal 

 on the west and going east, are Mount 

 Royal, Montarville, Beloeil, Rougemont, 

 Tamaska and Shefford. The distance from 

 Mount Royal to Shefford Mountain is fifty 

 miles. The mountains on the southern 

 line are two in number— Brome Mountain 

 and Mount Johnson. Of these hills Mount 

 Royal (Mons Regius), at the foot of which 

 the city of Montreal is situated, is the best 

 known and may be taken as the type of the 

 series. Dr. Adams proposes for the group 



