328 Canadian Record of Science. 



ferring a year later to the general results of the meeting 

 Sir William Dawson was able to express a high degree of 

 satisfaction at what had so far been accomplished. " We 

 have occasion," he said, " to congratulate ourselves on the 

 reception which our inaugural meeting met with at the 

 hands of the public and the newspaper press. Everywhere 

 the institution of the Society was recognized as wise and 

 beneficial, and if any doubts were expressed with reference 

 to it, they were based not on hostility to the Society, but on 

 a very natural diffidence as to the capacity of Canada, in 

 its present state of development, to sustain a body compa- 

 rable with the great national societies of other countries. 

 The amount of original work produced at our first meeting 

 was evidently an agreeable surprise to many ; and while 

 there was some friendly criticism by which we may hope 

 to profit, on the whole our debut was regarded with that 

 feeling at once kindly, considerate and patriotic which be- 

 comes all true Canadians in witnessing any effort, how- 

 ever feeble, to sustain and exalt the greatness of our coun- 

 try." 



Meanwhile the Society had obtained the recognition of 

 the Queen and of the Canadian Parliament. A letter from 

 Lord Kimberley, Secretary of State for tbe Colonies, dated 

 the 22nd of August, 1882, to the Marquis of Lome, gave the 

 pleasing information that Her Majesty had graciously per- 

 mitted the Society to be styled "The Royal Society of 

 Canada." On the 1st of March, 1883, a Bill to incorporate 

 the Society was introduced in the House of Commons by 

 Mr. Tasse. It was read a second time on the 19ih of the 

 same month, and on the 6th of April it was considered in 

 committee, read a third time and passed. It received the 

 royal assent on the 25th of May. 



Eule 11, regarding the affiliation of local literary and 

 scientific societies throughout the Dominion, has proved 

 most fruitful in concentrating and developing the intel- 

 lectual efforts of all the provinces of the Dominion. In 



