BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 3 
Mr. Hobart, Mr. DufF, Princess Street, Mr. J. Machar, Jr., M. A., Mr. Andrew T. 
Drummond, Jr., B. A., Mr. Smith, Librarian of Queen's College, Mr. M. Flanagan, 
City Clerk of Kingston, and many other citizens, as well as graduates and students 
in the Faculties of Theology, Arts, and Medicine. 
The Very Rev. Principal Leitch, D. D., of the University of Queen's College, 
was called to the Chair. 
Letters of apology for unavoidable absence, but warmly expressing approval of 
the object of the meeting, were read from Professor Litchfield, M. D., Rockwood, 
Dr. Sullivan, Hotel Dieu, and Mr. Briggs. Professor Lavell was also unavoidably 
detained from the Meeting. 
OPENING ADDRESS. 
By the Very Rev. Principal Leitch, D. D., the Chairman. 
The Rev. Principal Leitch, Chairman, announced that the object of the meet- 
ing was to consider the propriety of originating a Botanical Society, having for its 
object the investigation of the Canadian Flora. Universities (he said) do not dis- 
charge all their functions by merely teaching the acknowledged truths of literature 
and science ; it is a part of their duty to organize and instigate original inquiry in 
the different departments of knowledge. Systematic research must not only be di- 
rected, but, to a large extent, carried out by the personal labor of those who are 
connected with Universities, This is especially the case in a comparatively new 
country, where amateur laborers are few and scientific appliances not generally 
available. In a new country the prosecution of scientific research is needful, for 
various reasons ; we have here commenced at the right point. Industrial produc- 
tion and commerce are all important to a new country ; and botany, as now pursued, 
yields to no other science in its bearings on field industry and other useful arts of 
life. The country, too, is comparatively unexplored. The shores of the St. Law- 
rence, along which settlements have existed from an early period, have no doubt 
yielded up most of their botanical treasures to travellers and residents ; but we 
have still an extensive back country that is comparatively unexplored. There is 
ground, therefore, for the establishment of a Botanical Society, for we have here 
the great stimulus of being able to add to existing knowledge. In old countries a 
botanist may long pursue his studies, not indeed without great benefit to science, 
but without having his labors rewarded by meeting with anything new, with plants 
not previously collected and described by his predecessors in the science. But 
here there is room for new discovery ; the student may go forth to the woods, and 
hope, sooner or later, to set eyes upon a plant which no human eye has seen before. 
His name, it may be, will become associated with it, and thus a permanent record of 
his discovery will be inscribed in the book of science. All sciences have not such 
