HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF INSTITUTE. IxXV 



Biography," says (and he should know) that no biography 

 can or should be written until the culminating point, death, 

 has closed the record. There are also other self-evident 

 reasons why I will confine myself, in the biographical section, 

 to merely remarks on those worthy labourers who have 

 passed to rest. 



The Library of the Institute. 



Although the acquisition of a library was no doubt in the 

 minds of the original members in 1862, yet the earliest 

 mention of a collection of books being formed is in March, 

 1864, when was announced the receipt of the first book 

 donations to the institution, viz., the Second Report of the 

 Scientific Survey of the State of Maine, and the Report of 

 the Natural History Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Such 

 was the modest beginning of a library which now contains 

 nearly 36,000 books and pamphlets. For some twenty-five 

 years, society journals were very slowly added by exchange. 

 It was not until the revision of the bye-laws in 1884, that a 

 librarian was considered at all necessary, to which office 

 A. J. Denton was elected on 21st October, 1885, which 

 position he held for four years. When I first remember the 

 library about 1887, it was contained in about three small 

 book-cases in the hall outside the Provincial Museum, which 

 was then situated on the top floor of the Post Office. I 

 know, however, that even the few scientific journals it then 

 had, gave me as a lad the keenest pleasure in perusing them. 

 In 1888 the books were put in order and binding to a larger 

 extent was begun. 



Feeling that the possession of a good library of society 

 periodicals was one of the principal requirements of a scien- 

 tific institution for research, if its members hoped to keep 

 abreast with progress elsewhere, Dr. MacGregor, during 

 his energetic presidency, with the assistance of Mr. Bowman, 

 the librarian, devoted much attention in 1889 and 1890 to 



