

1855.] 



ADDRESS OF THE PKESIDENT OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



153 



Cjjx Canirtiaii |0iinial. 



TORONTO, FEBRUARY, 1855. 



Adiress of the President of the Canadian Institute. 

 Delivered January 6th, 1855. 



Messrs. Vice-Presidents and Gentlemen of the Canadian 

 Institute, — I cannot but regard it as a compliment that you liave 

 placed me a second time in the oifice of President, though I 

 confess I had difficulty in persuading myself that I ought not 

 pereraptorUy to decline it, for reasons which I stated on the last 

 similar occasion, and which I need not now repeat. 



It was my expectation, and (if I may take the liberty of 

 saying it) my hope that you would have found it possible this 

 year to nominate a gentleman to preside over your pioceedings, 

 who, having some leisure time at his command, which I have 

 not, would possess the further qualification, which I equally 

 want, of being able, from his previous pursuits, to apply his 

 leisure usefully in aiding your exertions for the promotion of 

 science. That you have not found it con\enient to relieve me 

 has arisen, I suppose, from some impediment not yet explained ; 

 but let me take the liberty of intimating that, whenever the 

 time shall come (and I think it cannot be distant), when you 

 can make a more satisfactory arrangement, you need not allow 

 yourselves to be embarrassed, in making tlie change, by any 

 scruples as regards myself, for that would, I assure you, be an 

 obstacle altogether imaginary. 



In the mean time, you will allow me to bring before you a 

 few considerations which have occurred to me respecting the 

 condition and prospects of the Association. 



The last annual report, read at a late meeting by the Secre- 

 tary, gave a favourable view of the state of the Canadian Insti- 

 tute, both in regard to the increasing number of its members, 

 and the coiiditlon of its finances. 



It appears that in the last two years the number of members 

 has increased from 112 to 333, of which 135 joined in the 

 year 1853, and SG in the last year. 



This is certainly a very encouraging progress ; and it seems 

 not too much to say that the number of members thus early 

 attained, is such as to aiford a reasonable assurance of the effi- 

 ciency and stability of the Institution, and to give good ground 

 of hope that, by an united exertion, its affairs may soon be 

 placed in a condition that will afford to its more active members 

 additional facilities, and enable the jVssociation to attract to 

 itself more general countenance and support. 



Of course, whatever hopes may bs indulged of the good to 

 be accouipli.shed, and the reputation to be acquired by the 

 Canadian Institute, the extent to which such hopes can be 

 realized must wholly depend upon the talent and knowledge to 

 be found among its members, and the use which they may be 

 able and willing to make of them in promoting the interests of 

 science. The inducements to voluntary exertion in so honor- 

 able a cause, arc the same here that exist in other countries, 

 and the field for exertion is neither more limited nor less inter- 

 esting. There are, indeed, in Canada, at the present time, 

 some peculiar inducements to the prosecution of scientific in- 

 quiries, which need not be pointed out. 



No expense is grudged, and no labour spared, in cultivating 

 Vol. Iir.^No. 7, Fobniarv, lS5.n. 



the minds of the youth of the Province of all ranks, and such 

 are the efforts which are being made to this end, that it does 

 not appear extravagant to say that we may expect, in a few 

 years, to find ourselves living among a people, who, to speak 

 of them in the mass, will be as able as any other that can be 

 named, either ancient or modern, to comprehend the nature 

 and value of discoveries that may be made in the arts and sci- 

 ences, and to adopt and improve upon such suggestions as may 

 be thi'own out by men of superior genius and attainments. 



If the system of Common School education which pervades 

 all parts of Upper Canada, shall continue to be maintained in 

 full efficiency, which there is no reason to doubt, the number 

 of those who can cuter with pleasure and profit into discus- 

 sions upon subjects of science will be immensely increased; and 

 those whose generous aim it may be to enlighten and improve 

 others by communicating freely the results of their own re- 

 searches and experiments, will find abundance of hearers and 

 readers able to underetand and reason upon their theories. 



There is good ground, too, for the expectation that, with 

 the advantage of the public libraries, selected as they are with 

 care and judgment, which are being formed within the several 

 counties, and even within each school sectioh, a spirit of inquiry 

 will be fostered, and an ambition excited to be distinguished in 

 scientific pursuits, which we may hope will in time add largely 

 to the number and variety of interesting contributions to the 

 . Institute. 



It is a most gratifying circumstance that the Legislature, at 

 the suggestion of the Government, has, within a few weeks, 

 added to its usual grant of £250 for the general purposes of the 

 Association, a further sum of five hundred pounds expressly 

 towards providing a building for its accommodation. This 

 generous act of encouragement is of great importance, because 

 it seems to insure the early accomplishment of the object which 

 it is intended to assist, and it denotes a confidence in the pro- 

 ceedings of the Association, as well as an interest in its success, 

 which cannot fail to supply additional motives to exertion. It 

 gives, also, good ground for hope that as time advances, and as 

 the benefits which may be derived from this Association become 

 more and more developed, the Legislature will not be found 

 wanting on their part in affording such further aid as may 

 seem necessary, provided they find that their grants have been 

 judiciously applied, and have been made the means of confer- 

 ring a con-esponding benefit upon the community. 



The grant which I have mentioned will be found sufficient, 

 it may be hoped, to enable the Society to proceed in erecting a 

 building without delay, especially as no part of it will be re- 

 quired to bo expended in purchasing a site — a charge from 

 which the Institute will happily be relieved by the generou-s 

 liberality of the late Secretary. If durability, convenience, 

 and neatness of design be principally consulted in the style of 

 building, without sacrifices being made to architectural orna- 

 ment, to which our funds will bo unequal, the Association 

 need not, I hope, be long without enjoying a home of its own ; 

 not one by any means adequate to what we may venture to 

 suppose its pui-poses wiU in the course of time require, but one 

 in most respects better than the temporary home, which, by 

 the kindness of the Government, we are at this moment occu- 

 pying- 



It will bo no difficult matter, I suppose, with the assistance 



which the professional knowledge and good taste of many of our 

 members will supply, to devise a plan of such a building as will 

 admit of extension, from time to time, by additions which will 

 be in harmony with the main design. The first step will natu- 



