Proceedings of the Society. Wy 
but which paved the way for the later and more remark- 
able gathering of the British Association in Montreal in 
1884. That these enterprises of our society have had a 
marked effect in the development of science, not only in 
Montreal, but throughout Canada, no one can doubt. When 
I look at the long series of our proceedings, extending from 
1856, in the Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, and subse- 
quently the CANADIAN REcorD oF ScrEncE, I have another 
measure of our power for good. The Canadian Naturalist 
was originally planned and issued by a man of rare power 
and gifts, the late Mr. Billings. When Sir William Logan 
wisely invited him to Montreal to take the position of pale- 
ontologist to the Geological Survey, he became associated 
with this society, and transferred the infant publication to 
its fostering care. Through many vicissitudes and difticul- 
ties it has continued to be published; and we may point to 
its volumes as arepertory of the natural history and geology 
of this country, which stands unrivalled as a collection 
of information on these subjects, since it includes not merely 
the original papers submitted to this society, but abstracts 
and notices of most of the papers and publications on Canada 
issued elsewhere. No scientific library, in which it is pro- 
posed to represent the natural history of that great section 
of North America which belongs to this Dominion, can 
afford to be without these volumes. By means of them 
also, and the separate copies of papers everywhere distri- 
buted, Canada is very widely known to scientific men 
abroad, and though we cannot, in detail and magnitude, 
rival the publications of the Geological Survey, I believe 
we have, with our comparatively slender means, done 
nearly as much to make the natural resources and produc- 
tions of our country known abroad. We have, besides, fur- 
nished an early and convenient means of publication to 
many of the more important discoveries of the officers of 
the Survey themselves, as well as to amateur and private 
workers in natural history fields. The Record or ScreNcE 
appeals to only a small circle of readers in this province. 
but it is widely known and read abroad. Our regular 
