here i come naturally to answer the questions that may be put by some that have not followed the history and the work of the royal society of canada,—what measure of success has it won? has it been of value to the canadian people in whose interests it was established, and with whose money it is mainly supported? twelve years have nearly passed away since a few gentlemen, engaged in literary, scientific and educational pursuits, assembled at mcgill college on the invitation of the marquess of lorne, then governor-general of canada, to consider the practicability of establishing a society which would bring together both the french and english canadian elements of our population for purposes of common study and the discussion of such subjects as might be profitable to the dominion, and at the same time develop the literature of learning and science as far as practicable.[56] this society was to have a dominion character—to form a union of leading representatives of all those engaged in literature and science in the several provinces, with the principle of federation observed in so far as it asked every society of note in every section to send delegates to make reports on the work of the year within its particular sphere. of the gentlemen who assembled at this interesting meeting beneath the roof of the learned principal of montreal's well-known university, the majority still continue active friends of the society they aided lord lome to found; but i must also add with deep regret that, within a little more than a year, two of the most distinguished promoters of the society, dr. thomas sterry hunt and sir daniel wilson, have been called from their active and successful labours34 in education, science and letters. as i know perhaps better than any one else, on account of an official connection with the society from the very hour it was suggested by lord lorne, no two members ever comprehended more thoroughly the useful purpose which it could serve amid the all-surrounding materialism of this country, or laboured more conscientiously until the very hour of their death by their writings and their influence to make the society a canadian institution, broad in its scope, liberal in its culture, and elevated in its aspirations. without dwelling on the qualifications of two men[57] whose names are imperishably connected with the work of their lifetime—arch?ology, education and chemistry—i may go on to say that the result of the montreal meeting was the establishment of a society which met for the first time at ottawa in the may of 1882, with a membership of eighty fellows under the presidency of dr. (afterwards sir) william dawson, and the vice-presidency of the honourable p. j. o. chauveau, a distinguished french canadian who had won a high name, not only in literature, but also in the political world where he was for years a conspicuous figure; noted for his eloquence, his culture and his courtesy of manner. the society was established in no spirit of isolation from other literary and scientific men because its membership was confined at the outset to eighty fellows who had written "memoirs of merit or rendered eminent services to literature or science"—a number subsequently increased to a hundred under certain limitations. on the contrary it asks for, and has constantly published, contributions from all workers in the same fields of effort with the simple proviso that such contributions are presented with the endorsation of an actual member, though they may be read before any one of the four sections by the author himself. every association, whether purely literature or historical, or scientific, as i have already intimated, has been asked to assist in the work of the society,[58] and its delegates given every advantage at the meetings possessed by the fellows themselves, except voting and discussing the purely internal affairs of the royal society. some misapprehension appears to have existed at first in the public mind that, because the society was named "the royal society of canada,"35 an exclusive and even aristocratic institution was in contemplation. it seems a little perplexing to understand why an objection could be taken to such a designation when the queen is at the head of our system of government, and her name appears in the very first clauses of the act of union, and in every act requiring the exercise of the royal prerogative in this loyal dependency of the crown. as a fact, in using the title, the desire was to follow the example of similar societies in australia, and recall that famous royal society in england, whose fellowship is a title of nobility in the world of science. certain features were copied from the institute of france, inasmuch as there is a division into sections with the idea of bringing together into each for the purposes of common study and discussion those men who have devoted themselves to special branches of the literature of learning and science. in this country and, indeed, in america generally, a notable tendency is what may be called the levelling principle—to deprecate the idea that any man should be in any way better than another; and in order to prevent that result it is necessary to assail him as soon as he shows any political or intellectual merit, and to stop him, if possible, from attaining that mental superiority above his fellows that his industry and his ability may enable him to reach. the royal society suffered a little at first from this spirit of depreciation which is often carried to an extent that one at times could almost believe that this is a country without political virtues or intellectual development of any kind. the claims of some of its members were disputed by literary aspirants who did not happen for a moment to be enrolled in its ranks, and the society was charged with exclusiveness when, as a fact, it simply limited its membership, and demanded certain qualifications, with the desire to make that membership a test of some intellectual effort, and consequently more prized by those who were allowed sooner or later to enter. it would have been quite possible for the society to make itself a sort of literary or scientific picnic by allowing every man or woman who had, or believed they had, some elementary scientific or other knowledge to enter its ranks, and have the consequent advantages of cheap railway fares and other subsidiary36 advantages on certain occasions, but its promoters did not think that would best subserve the special objects they had in view. at all events, none of them could have been prompted by any desire to create a sort of literary aristocracy. indeed, one would like to know how any one in his senses could believe for a moment that any institution of learning could be founded with exclusive tendencies in these times, in this or any other country! if there is an intelligent democracy anywhere it is the republic of letters. it may be aristocratic in the sense that there are certain men and women who have won fame and stand on a pedestal above their fellows, but it is the world, not of a class, but of all ranks and conditions, that has agreed to place them on that pedestal as a tribute to their genius which has made people happier, wiser and better, has delighted and instructed the artisan as well as the noble.

for twelve years then the royal society has continued to persevere in its work; and thanks to the encouragement given it by the government of canada it has been able, year by year, to publish a large and handsome volume of the proceedings and transactions of its meetings. no other country in the world can exhibit volumes more creditable on the whole in point of workmanship than those of this society. the papers and monographs that have appeared embrace a wide field of literature—the whole range of arch?ological, ethnological, historical, geographical, biological, mathematical and physical studies. the volumes now are largely distributed throughout canada—among the educated and thinking classes—and are sent to every library, society, university and learned institution of note in the world, with the hope of making the dominion better known. the countries where they are placed for purposes of reference are these:

the united states: every state of the union and district of columbia,

newfoundland,

mexico,

brazil,

costa rica,

uruguay,

guatemala,

venezuela,

chile,

peru,

india,

japan,

australia,

new zealand,

great britain and ireland,

37ecuador,

italy,

greece,

norway and sweden,

spain,

south africa,

germany,

roumania,

argentine republic,

france,

russia,

austria-hungary,

mauritius,

denmark.

so well known are these 'transactions' now in every country that, when it happens some library or institution has not received it from the beginning or has been forgotten in the distribution, the officers of the society have very soon received an intimation of the fact. this is gratifying, since it shows that the world of higher literature and of special research—the world of scholars and scientists engaged in important observation and investigation—is interested in the work that is being done in the same branches in this relatively new country. it would be impossible for me within the limits of this address to give you anything like an accurate and comprehensive idea of the numerous papers the subject and treatment of which, even from a largely practical and utilitarian point of view, have been of decided value to canada, and i can only say here that the members of the society have endeavoured to bring to the consideration of the subjects they have discussed a spirit of conscientious study and research, and that, too, without any fee or reward except that stimulating pleasure which work of an intellectual character always brings to the mind.

in these days of critical comparative science, when the study of the aboriginal or native languages of this continent has absorbed the attention of close students, the royal society has endeavoured to give encouragement and currency to those studies by publishing grammars, vocabularies and other monographs relating to indian tongues and antiquities. the abbé cuoq, one of the most erudite scholars of this continent in this special branch of knowledge, has nearly completed in the 'transactions' what will be a monumental work of learning on the algonquin language. a haida grammar and dictionary are also now awaiting the completion of the abbé cuoq's work to be published in the same way. a great deal of light has been thrown on cartier's38 and champlain's voyages in the gulf, and consequently on its cartography, by the labours of the abbé verreau, prof. ganong and others. the excellent work of the geological survey has been supplemented by important contributions from its staff, and consequently there is to be found in the 'transactions' a large amount of information, both abstract and practical, on the economic and other minerals of the dominion. chiefly owing to the efforts of the society, the government of canada some time ago commenced to take tidal observations on the atlantic coasts of canada—an enterprise of great value to the shipping and commercial interests of the country—and has also co-operated in the determination of the true longitude of montreal which is now being prosecuted under the able superintendence of professor mcleod. it is in the same practical spirit of investigation and action that the society has published a treatise by that veteran scholar, dr. moses harvey, of st. john's, newfoundland, on "the artificial propagation of marine food-fishes and edible crustaceans"; and it is satisfactory to understand from a statement made in the house of commons last session that a question of such deep interest to our great fishing industry in the maritime provinces is likely to result in some practical measure in the direction suggested. the contributions of sir daniel wilson on the "artistic faculty in the aboriginal races," "the pre-aryan american man," "the trade and commerce of the stone age," and "the huron-iroquois race in canada," that typical race of american indians, were all intended to supplement in a measure that scholarly work, "prehistoric man," which had brought him fame many years before. dr. patterson of nova scotia, a most careful student of the past, has made valuable contributions to the history of portuguese exploration in north american waters, and of that remarkable lost tribe known as beothiks or red indians of newfoundland. sir william dawson has contributed to almost every volume of the 'transactions' from his stores of geological learning, while his distinguished son has followed closely in his footsteps, and has made valuable additions to our knowledge, not only of the geology of the northwest, but also of the antiquities, languages and customs of the indian tribes of39 british columbia and the adjacent islands. the opinions and theories of dr. thomas sterry hunt on the "taconic question in geology" and the "relations of the taconic series to the later crystalline and the cambrian rocks," were given at length in the earlier volumes. mr. g. f. matthew, of st. john, new brunswick, who is a very industrious student, has elaborated a work on the "fauna of the st. john group." not only have our geological conditions been more fully explained, but our flora, ferns, and botany generally have been clearly set forth by professors lawson, macoun and penhallow. all these and many other papers of value have been illustrated by expensive plates, generally executed by canadian artists. the majority of the names i have just given happen to be english canadian, but the french language has been represented in science by such eminent men as hamel, laflamme and deville—the two first illustrating the learning and culture of laval, so long associated with the best scholarship of the province of quebec. without pursuing the subject further, let me say, as one who has always endeavoured to keep the interests of the society in view, that such monographs as i have mentioned represent the practical value of its work, and show what an important sphere of usefulness is invariably open to it. the object is not to publish ephemeral newspaper or magazine articles—that is to say, articles intended for merely popular information or purely literary practice—but always those essays and works of moderate compass which illustrate original research, experiment and investigation in all branches of historical, arch?ological, ethnological and scientific studies, and which will form a permanent and instructive reference library for scholars and students in the same branches of thought and study all over the world. in fact, the essays must necessarily be such as cannot be well published except through the assistance granted by a government, as in our case, or by the liberality of private individuals. the society, in fact, is in its way attempting just such work as is done by the smithsonian institute, on a large scale, at washington, so far as the publication of important transactions is concerned. i admit that sometimes essays have appeared, but many more are offered from time to time, better suited to the periodicals40 of the day than to the pages of a work of which the object is to perpetuate the labours of students and scholars, and not the efforts of the mere literary amateur or trifler in belles-lettres. but while there must be necessarily such limitations to the scope of the 'transactions,' which are largely scientific in their treatment, room will be always made for papers on any economic, social or ethical subject which, by their acute reasoning, sound philosophy and originality of thought, demand the attention of students everywhere. such literary criticism as finds place now and then in the dignified old 'quarterly review' or in the 'contemporary' will be printed whenever it is written by any canadian author with the same power of keen analysis and judicious appreciation of the thoughts and motives of an author that we find notably in that charming study of tennyson's "princess," by s. e. dawson,[59] who is a canadian by birth, education and feeling. no doubt there is room in the dominion for a magazine combining the features of 'blackwood,' the 'contemporary' and the 'quarterly review'; that is to say, poetry, fiction, criticism, reviews of topics of the day, and, in fact, original literary effort of the higher order, which, though mostly ephemeral in its character, must have much influence for the time being on the culture and the education of the public mind. since the days of the old 'canadian monthly,'[60] which, with all its imperfections, contained much excellent work, all efforts in the same direction have been deserving of little encouragement; and, in fact, if such a venture is to succeed hereafter it must have behind it sufficient capital to engage the assistance of the best canadian writers, who now send their work to american and english periodicals. such a magazine must be carefully edited, and not made the dumping-ground for the crude efforts of literary dabblers or for romantic gush and twaddle, but must be such a judicious selection of the best canadian talent as will evoke comparison with the higher class of periodicals i have mentioned. we have only one literary paper of merit in this country, and that is 'the week,' which, despite all the indifference that is too apt to meet a journal not influenced by party motives, has kept its literary aim always before it, and endeavoured to do such a work as 'the new york41 nation' has been doing for years under far greater advantages in the neighbouring country with marked success and ability. in the meantime, until a magazine of the character i advocate is established, the 'transactions of the royal society' cannot be expected to occupy the same ground unless it is prepared to give up that important field which it and the societies with which it is associated alone can fill in this country. in one respect, indeed, the royal society, in my opinion—and i have endeavoured to impress it on my fellow-members—can reach a much larger class of readers than it is now possible by means of its somewhat formidable though handsomely printed and well illustrated volumes, which necessarily are confined, for the most part, to libraries and institutions, where they can be best consulted by students who find it necessary to inform themselves on such canadian subjects as the society necessarily treats. it is quite possible that by selecting a more convenient form, say royal octavo, and publishing the purely scientific sections in one volume and the purely literary department in another, a larger inducement will be given to the public to purchase its 'transactions' at a moderate cost and in a more convenient shape for reading, whenever they contain monographs or large works in which canadians generally are interested or on which they wish special information. of course, in making this change care must be taken to maintain the typographical appearance and the character of the scientific illustrations and the usefulness of the cartography. not only may the royal society in this way reach a larger reading public, but it may stimulate the efforts of historic and other writers by giving them greater facilities for obtaining special editions of their works for general sale. as it is now, each author obtains a hundred copies of his paper in pamphlets, sometimes more; and if the form is now made smaller and more handy, to use a common word, he will be induced to order a larger edition at his own cost. even as it is now, some four or five thousand copies of essays and monographs—in special cases many more—are annually distributed by authors in addition to those circulated in the bound volumes of the 'transactions'; and in this way any value these works may have is considerably enhanced. if it should be decided42 to continue the large form, at all events it will be in the interest of the society, and of the author of any monograph or history of more than ordinary value, to print it not only in the 'transactions' but also in a smaller volume for general circulation. practically this would meet the object in view—the larger distribution of the best work of the section devoted to historical and general literature. but whether this change is adopted or not,[61] i think the royal society, by showing even still greater zeal and earnestness in the work for which it was founded, by co-operating with scholars and students throughout the dominion, by showing every possible sympathy with all those engaged in the work of art, culture and education, can look forward hopefully to the future; and all it asks from the canadian public at large is confidence in its work and objects, which are in no sense selfish or exclusive, but are influenced by a sincere desire to do what it can to promote historic truth and scientific research, and give a stimulus in this way to the intellectual development of this young dominion, yet in the infancy of its literary life.