Report of the Council of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, for the Year 1887

 

[Originally published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Transactions, New Series, No. 19 (1889)]

 

 

ANNUAL MEETING-, 11th JANUARY, 1888.

ANNUAL BEPORT.

QUEBEC, January 11th, 1888.

 

The President and Council of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, beg to submit to this annual meeting, their reports for the past year. It is matter for regret that the Society's finances continue in a condition -which is far from satisfactory. The membership has not increased, and through death, resignations and other causes, the Society has suffered much. Owing to lack of funds, the principal object of the Society, the publication of its Proceedings and Memoirs,—has had to be sacrificed. Still, through the persistence of the Librarian, we have been able to reprint during the year, three valuable manuscripts relating to our early history. These are, The Campaign of 1760 in Canada ; a narrative attributed to Chevalier Johnstone ; The Invasion of Canada in 1775 ; a letter attributed to Major Henry Caldwell, and "A Dialogue in Hades", attributed to Chevalier Johnstone.

 

It is to be hoped that the Society's funds will prove large enough this year, to enable the Council to resume the publication of the annual volume of transactions, which in the past, served to add so materially to the importance of the Society as a repository of historical documents and papers. We have not yet recovered from the loss of the annual grant of $750, which we received from Confederation until 1884, from the Quebec Government, in aid of this branch of our work. The prospects of a renewal of this favour for the present year are good, promises having been given the Society by the present Government that a grant would be given to us. The following letter was addressed last May to the Hon. D. A. Ross, ex-President of this Society :—

 

QUEBEC, May 11th, 1887.

Hon. D. A. Ross,

 

DEAR SIR,—I see in the supplementary estimates an item of |500 for the Institut Canadien. Now as you are an ex-President of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, with whose aims and work you are well acquainted, I hope and trust that you will use your influence with the Government to have our Society placed on the same footing. I leave the matter in your hands, because you are familiar with our needs and the character of the work which we have in hand.

 

The Society meets this afternoon at 4 o'clock. Would feel obliged if you could let me know what you intend doing to-day, so that I may lay the matter before our Council.

In the meantime,

I am, dear Mr. Ross, Yours very truly,

GEORGE STEWART, Jr.,

President.

 

To the above, this reply was received :—

 

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, 13th May, 1887.

 

George Stewart, Esquire, D.C.L., President Quebec Literary and Historical Society.

 

DEAR SIR,—It was by inadvertence that nothing was granted to the Society which you represent. The error will be remedied next session, so that the grant to the Society shall be made equal to that given to the Institut Canadien.

 

Yours truly,

(Signed,)            DAVID A. Ross,

 

Mr. Ross also sent in the following letter, addressed to him by the Hon. Mr. Mercier, Attorney-General and Prime Minister of Quebec :—

 

Québec, 12 mai 1887.

MON CHER COLLÈGUE,

 

J'ai pris connaissance de la lettre de M. G. Stewart, jr., Président de la Société Littéraire et Historique de Québec. Je regrette vivement qu'il soit trop tard pour accorder l'octroi sollicité à cette session.

 

Nous nous ferons un plaisir de considérer cette demande à la prochaine session, avec faveur autant que possible.

 

Bien à vous,

(Signé,)            HONORE MERCIER.

Hon. M. Ross,

Conseiller Législatif,

Québec.

 

We must again ask the members to exert themselves in behalf of the Society, and to secure as many candidates for admission as possible. During the year 12 new members were elected, 11 resigned and six left the city. By death we lost six valued and esteemed members, viz : the Revd. George V. Housman, M.A., Surgeon J. Martin, F. E. Roy, M.D., and Messrs. "Willis Russell, Walton Smith, and Wm. White.

 

We have an active membership of 187.

 

In May last, Mr. Wm. A. Ashe, F.R.A.S., attended the annual meeting of the Royal Society of Canada, at Ottawa, as delegate of this Society, where he presented a report of our proceedings, and read a valuable paper before the Fourth Section of that Society on "The Diurnal Motion of the Earth in its relation to Geological Phenomena," which was well received.

 

The opening lecture of our annual course was delivered on the evening of Friday, 7th January, by the President, George Stewart, Jr., D.C.L., on "Whittier, the New England Poet." The second lecture was by Mr. "W. A. Ashe, on Friday, January 14th, on "An Elementary Discussion of the Nebular Hypothesis." The third lecture was by Lt-Col. Wm. Rhodes, on Friday, January 28th, on " The Ice of the St. Lawrence as compared to that of the Arctic Ocean." The fourth lecture was on Friday evening, 4th March, by E. E. Dobell, Esq., on " Imperial Federation." The fifth lecture was by Col. Rhodes, on Friday evening, March 11th, on " The Ice of the St. Lawrence," and the sixth was delivered by M. Faucher de St. Maurice, M.P.P., F.E.S.O., on Friday evening, 15th April, on "Vers le Passé." The lectures were well attended. A course for the present year has been arranged, Mr. Ashe giving the opening lecture on Thursday evening, January 12th. Subject : "Popular Superstitions."

 

GEORGE STEWART, Jr.,

President.

A. ROBERTSON,

Council Secretary.

 

The Librarian's report was then read by Mr. F. C. Wurtele.

 

LIBRARIAN'S REPORT.

 

The Librarian reports 276 accessions to the Library during the past year as per enclosed lists :—30 cloth and 27 paper bound volumes, donations from friends of the Society, and the Dominion and Provincial Governments ; 24 cloth and 153 paper bound volumes by exchange with other Societies, and 42 volumes of latest works were purchased by order of the Council. There were 1,932 volumes issued on loan to members, of which 161 still remain out beyond the time allowed by the rules of the Society. Our rooms were visited, in September last, by several librarians from the United States and Ontario, members of the American Library Association, returning from the annual meeting held this year at Alexandria Bay. These gentlemen were well pleased with the Library, and especially with our collection of works relating to the history of Canada. From this visit the Librarian learned that there is an increasing desire in the United States for information on the history of America and especially Canada. Therefore, to make known more widely what this Society has contributed to the early history of our country, he, with the consent of the Council, caused a detailed list of its publications to be printed and sent to a number of societies and public libraries in the United States. Also, by the same authority, he had reprinted three parts of the second series of Historical documents, viz :— Campaign in Canada in 1760, the Dialogue in Hades, and the Invasion of Canada in 1775. The result is that eighty-six dollars and eighty-two cents have been handed to the Treasurer during the year, from the sale of our publications, and enquiries for them still continue. Some valuable exchanges have been made with other societies, among which are the collections of the Essex Institute, the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Royal United Service Institution. In all these collections, transactions, &c, most interesting reading is found. As the works of Sir Walter Scott, Thackeray, Bulwer and Dickens are in a most delapidated condition, almost beyond repair, the Librarian would suggest that the incoming Council procure new sets of these works as soon as possible.

 

F. C. WURTELE,

Librarian.

Quebec, 31st December, 1887.

 

The Treasurer's report was read by Mr. Edwin Pope, Treasurer.

 

THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, QUEBEC, IN ACCOUNT WITH EDWIN POPE, TREASURER.

Dr.

To cash paid for books, periodicals, etc: $ 267 75

To cash paid for printing, binding, etc: 201 16

To cash paid for fuel and light: 37 46

To cash paid for insurance: 30 00

To cash paid for salaries: 240 00

To cash paid for miscellaneous: 38 79

To balance: 68 12

=$ 883 28

 

Cr.

By balance from 1886: $ 35 26

By members subscriptions for 1887: 530 00

By members subscriptions for arrears: 180 00

By newspapers, etc., sold: 38 70

By subscriptions towards printing transactions: 8 00

By payment for lost book: 4 50

By sale of transactions: 86 82

=$ 883 28

 

By balance: $ 68 12

 

Quebec, January 10th, 1888.

EDWIN POPE,

Treasurer.

Examined and found correct.

Quebec, January 10th, 1888.

WM. S. BENNETT,

Auditor.

 

On motion of Dr. Harper and Col. Pope, the reports, as read, were adopted.

 

The election of office-bearers for the year 1888 was then proceeded with. Col. Pope and Mr. James Morgan were appointed scrutineers. The following gentlemen were duly elected :—

 

President: George Stewart, Jr., D.C.L.,F.R.G.S., F.E.S.O.

1st Vice- President: Wm. Hossack.

2nd Vice-President: John Harper, PhD., F.E.I.S.

3rd Vice-President: Cyr. Tessier.

4th Vice-President: George R. Renfrew.

Treasurer: Edwin Pope.

Librarian: Fred. C. Wiirtele.

Recording-Secretary: J. Elton Prower.

Corresponding-Secretary: Wm. A. Ashe, F.R.A.S.

Council-Secretary: A. Robertson.

Curator of Museum: Wm. Clint.

Curator of Apparatus: W. C. H. Wood.

Additional Members of the Council—James M. LeMoine, F.R.S.C., Peter Johnston, H. M. Price, and H. Stanley Smith.

 

Mr. W. S. Bennett was appointed Auditor.

S. Macdonald in charge of the Rooms.

Mr. J. H. Henderson and Mr. W. Wilde Welch were elected members of the Society.

 

The meeting then adjourned.