The Royal Society of Canada,. 5 



^certain classes of scientific books and periodicals free of duty, and 

 it was believed the action of Parliament in its last session would 

 change some portions at least of the law complained of. The 

 matter of uniform time had been committed to Mr. Sanford 

 Fleming, to represent their views to the International Congress 

 on the subject. At the meeting of the council, in December, 1882, 

 the subject of regulations was taken up, and a draft prepared, 

 which was printed and circulated to the members. The report 

 recommended that, as it seemed likely that the British Association 

 for the Advancement of Science would meet in Montreal in 1884, 

 the Society should take measures to extend a welcome to the 

 Association, and to be represented by as many as possible of its 

 members on the occasion. 



On motion of Mr. Faucher de St. Maurice, it was resolved to 

 ask the Government, through the Minister of Marine and Fish- 

 eries, that such specimens of the Canadian fishery exhibit now at 

 the International Fishery Exhibition, in London, England, as 

 are of scientific value, should be offered to the National Museum. 



His Excellency the Governor-General then delivered 

 the following address to the Society : 



"When we met last year, and formally inaugurated a society for 

 the encouragement of literature and science in Canada, an experi- 

 ment was tried. As with all experiments, its possible success was 

 questioned by some, who feared that the elements necessary for 

 such an organization were lacking. Our meetion of this year 

 assumes a character which an inaugural assembly could not possess. 

 The position we took in asserting that the time had come for the 

 institution of such a union of the scientific and literary men of this 

 country has been established as good, not only by the honorable 

 name accorded to us by Her Majesty — a designation never lightly 

 granted — but also by that without which we could not stand, 

 namely, the public favors extended to our efforts. 



Parliament has recognized the earnest purpose and happy 

 <30-operation with which you have met, and worked in unison. 

 Knowing that the talents exhibited are not those of gold and 

 silver only, it has stamped with its approbation your designs by 

 voting a sum of money, which in j art will defray the expense of 

 the printing of your transactions. And here, in speaking of this 

 as a business-meeting, I would venture to remind you, and all 



