ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS, 1876. 



By Wm. Gossip, Vice-President. 



It is a duty imposed by the rules of the Institute, that at every 

 recurring Anniversary Meeting the President shall deliver an Ad- 

 dress, which shall embody some account of its present circumstances 

 and future prospects. 1 did not expect that our worthy Presi- 

 dent, Dr. Bernard Gilpin, would be in Halifax upon this occasion, 

 and as the next in office, I prepared to comply with the require- 

 ments of the rule that imposes the duty. I am very glad that he 

 lias arrived in time to preside at this Annual Meeting, although 1 

 am not so well pleased that he persists in devolving upon me a duty 

 of his office which he is so much better able to perform. 



There may have been very little to communicate that was new 

 or of much interest, at preceding anniversaries ; and so far as I 

 know there is little of importance to communicate now. But 

 occasional non-observance of ruins begets a general looseness of 

 practice, which at length must have injurious effect upon the work- 

 ing of any institution. A short address, therefore, at our annual 

 meetings, will not be at all inappropriate, and may help to create 

 an interest in our proceedings ; and this rule, which has not hitherto 

 been carefully observed, being a good one, we should probably suf- 

 fer, sooner or later if we forgot it entirely, from the absence of that 

 systematic operation, wisely marked out for us by those who framed 

 it, who took great pains, and followed the best examples at their 

 command, to make the Institute thoroughly efficient. 



I do not intend to occupy your time with scientific topics. Our 

 concern, this evening, is more with matters connected with the 

 management of the Institute. Even on these my knowledge is not 

 so intimate or complete as it ought to be, and what I have to offer 

 will be more suggestive than dogmatic. 



It happens unfortunately, that our able Secretary, upon whom 

 the chief burden of the work of the Institute rests, is at the Phila- 



