Proceedings of the Society. 455 



enthusiatic greeting. At the request of Dr. Baker Edwards, 

 he rose in his carriage and commenced an address in French. 

 " Speak in English, father," said Mr. Scott. " Why, you 

 know v.ery well that I can hardly speak in French," replied 

 the cur<S, laughingly. " No, you must excuse me that I 

 continue in French." He then proceeded to express how 

 much St. Jerome felt honored by the presence of the dis- 

 tinguished party before him. " The name of Sir "William 

 Dawson," he said, " was not only known and honored in 

 Montreal, but in all Canada ; farther than that, in the great 

 United States, and farther still, in England and all Europe. 

 They could not but feel gratified at the presence of such a 

 man in their town, and his name as President gave a scien- 

 tific standing to the society. At college he (the speaker) 

 had not been much grounded in geology, but he had found 

 time to study since, and though his knowledge was limited, 

 it had been practical, and the results might be now seen in 

 various industries established in their thriving and busy 

 little town. Now that communication was being made 

 easier and more rapidly between Montreal and St. Jerome, 

 he hoped more frequently to see their- scientific men explor- 

 ing that district, and felt sure they would there find plenty 

 to repay their research. Speaking for himself and his fel- 

 low townsmen, he welcomed Sir William Dawson and his 

 friends with all his heart." 



Sir Wm. Dawson made a brief reply, and, alluding to the 

 various works now established at St. Jerome, said he hoped 

 yet to live to see that neighborhood a second Birmingham, 

 and trusted that when Montreal would be a comparatively 

 small place, though useful as a shipping port for the pro- 

 ducts of the St. Jerome district, in the neighborhood of 

 which were great deposits of iron ores, that they, the 

 inhabitants of St. Jerome, would remember old friendships 

 and not look down too much on Montrealers. 



Mr. Burgess, with an able staff of assistants, had fitted 

 up a baggage car as an impromptu dining-room. The car 

 was tastefully decorated, and the long table laid out very 

 prettily ; a very plentiful cold collation was served, and the 

 excursionists were invited to partake of the hospitality of 



