Report of the Council of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, for the Year 1889[1]

 

[Originally published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Transactions, New Series, No. 20 (1891)]

 

Annual General Meeting, 8th January, 1890.

 

ANNUAL REPORT

QUEBEC, 8th January, 1890.

 

The annual general meeting of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec was held on Wednesday morning, 8th January, in the Library of the Society, at 10 o'clock. There was a good attendance of members. Dr. George Stewart, F.R.G.S., President, in the chair. After reading the minutes of the last monthly meeting, the Council Secretary, A. Robertson, Esq., submitted the annual report of the Society for the past year.

 

ANNUAL REPORT

 

QUEBEC, January 8th, 1890.

 

The reports and financial statements of the President and Council of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, for the past year, are this day respectfully submitted to the Society. During the year 1889, nine new members were elected, nine resigned, seven left the city, and five died. By death the Society loses the valuables services of Col. James Pope, Dr. A. Rowand, Mr. H. W. Welch, Rev. W. S. Vial, and Mr. F. C. B. Thomson. The active membership is 180, as against 190 last year. Dr. Justin Winsor, of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., was elected an honorary member, and Messrs. W. F. Ganong, M.A., of Cambridge, Mass., and James Hannay, of St. John, N. B., author of The History of Acadia, were elected corresponding members.

 

Last May, Mr. W. C. H. Wood attended the annual general meeting of the Royal Society of Canada, at Ottawa, as delegate from this Society. He duly presented his report, and took part in the proceedings of that Society.

 

The opening lecture of our annual course was delivered on the 13th December, 1888, by the Very Rev. Dean Norman, D.D., D.C.L., on "A Study of the Merchant of Venice," with readings from the play. The second lecture was by J. Elton Prower, Esq., on Thursday evening, 17th January, 1889, subject " Pre-Columbian Discoveries of America." The third lecture was by W. C. H. Wood, Esq., on Thursday evening, 31st January, subject, " John Keats." The fourth lecture was by Casimir Dickson, Esq., on Thursday evening, 14th February, subject, " Imperial Federation," and the fifth lecture was by Wm. A. Ashe, Esq., F.R.A.S., on Thursday evening, 28th February, subject, "The Weather and the Moon."

 

The state of our finances, and the condition of the library, reading room, and museum and apparatus will be found in the accompanying reports.

 

Investigators of Canadian history, for many years, have been under obligations to the Literary and Historical Society, which has never declined to place her rich stores of material at their disposal. Hardly an important historical work, touching upon Canada, has been issued during the last half century, which does not contain quotations, and often lengthy extracts, from our manuscript collections and published memoirs. The necessity of the Society as an aid of great value to historical study is freely admitted on all sides. When reverses came to us, and members dropped off, and the Government grant of $750 per annum, (which was practically given to meet the printer's bill) was withdrawn, the Society found itself at very low water indeed, and face to face with a large and cumbersome debt. We curtailed our expenses, as best we could, in every direction. To add to the library more than an occasional book was out of the question, and the list of magazines and reviews was ruthlessly cut into. Our misfortunes were increased when it was found that members, long in arrears, had died, failed or left the city, leaving behind them only their names. Attempts, of course, were made to increase the membership, but the result was not very satisfactory. The fact that we failed to publish a volume of Transactions and Memoirs annually, led thoughtless critics to ask whether we were living on our past, and ignoring the stores of material lying in our vaults, and accessible only to but a limited number of persons. But without funds, printing was impossible, and we had to submit to ungracious criticism, with what patience we could bring to our relief. Once a few members of the Council put their hands into their pockets, and issued a small brochure, which they presented to the Society, for distribution among its exchanges, —more to prove that the Society was alive than anything else.

 

Two years ago, the present Government and Legislature of Quebec, generously came to our aid, and voted us the handsome grant of $500 per annum. Last year, we promptly resumed the publication of our Transactions and Proceedings, and issued a volume of nearly two hundred pages, containing a variety of useful information. The grant, we have good reason to believe, will be placed in the estimates of the Hon. Treasurer, this year.

 

Perhaps, it may not be out of place to state here that the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec has a prestige which extends all over the world. That prestige we must in no wise lose. Books we have, but we do not call our collection a circulating library. A reading-room we have, where many of the leading British, American, and foreign reviews and periodicals are placed at the disposal of the members, but that feature, admirable as it is, in its way, for the leisure hour of our members, is by no means the strong point of our institution, though, perhaps, it may be the more popular one. We must never forget that we have to uphold the great traditions of our Society as the oldest historical body in Canada. From all quarters of the globe, messages and letters come, if not every day, certainly, often during the week, asking questions about our annals, disputed points in our history, and curious queries touching life, movement and civilization in Canada, since it first began to occupy the attention of man. To answer these questions intelligently, and promptly, involves labour of no mere perfunctory kind, still, it may be said, that the duty is always cheerfully performed, the spread of reliable information regarding our country, being one of the great aims of the Society.

 

GEORGE STEWART,

President.

 

A. ROBERTSON,

Council Secretary.

 

REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.

 

The Library has been increased during the past year by 312 volumes, composed of 242 exchanges, 37 donations and 33 purchases. Amongst the latter is the eight and last volume of Winsor's History of America, and the 25th volume of the ninth edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, which complete both of these valuable works. The third volume of Kingsford's History of Canada has been placed in the Canadian section. An inexpensive series of short memoirs of " Englishmen of Action," such as Gordon, Lawrence, Wellington, Warren Hastings and others, has been subscribed for and placed on the shelves, together with a comprehensive history of British Columbia by Hubert Howe Bancroft.

 

Some extremely valuable donations have been received, notably, a complete set of Parkman's works, presented by the author himself. The Merchant Tailors' Society of London have sent the history of their guild to this Society, contained in three large handsome volumes. The Hon. W. Rhodes sent us Lareau's " Histoire du Droit Canadien," and the Hon. the Provincial Secretary the Letters and Journals of the Chevalier de Levis, edited by the Rev. Abbé H. R. Casgrain, and the fifth volume of " Jugements du Conseil Supérieur." The Colonial Secretary of Newfoundland kindly sent the geological report of that Island by Prof. Murray, and we also received a poem styled " The Lost Island," from the pen of E. T. Fletcher, Esq., of Victoria, B.C., one of our Honorary Members.

 

The exchange list contains many valuable books, viz.:— Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, the Collections of the New York Historical Society, the Reports, Monographs and Plans of the Geological Survey of the United States ; also, three large quartos from the Fishery Commission of the United States, which give illustrated details of the whole of the fishing industries of that country.

 

Sixteen hundred and twenty-two volumes have been loaned to members. Scribner's Magazine and the Bystander have been added to the list of periodicals, making an annual subscription list of over one hundred and sixty dollars.

 

Transactions and historical documents published by this Society to the value of fifty-nine dollars have been disposed of in England and the United States, and several historical enquiries answered ; the exchange list with foreign societies has also largely increased, all of which show that our Society still ranks high among the historical institutions of the world.

F. C. WURTELE,

Librarian.

Quebec, 31st December, 1889.

 

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

 

To Cash paid for books and periodicals           $          277            16

"       "      "        " printing and binding                       264            25

"       "      "        " fuel and light                                    10183

"       "      "        " rent                                       400            00

"       "      "        " salary and miscellaneous          349            37

"                           Balance                                             123            26

$1,515 87

 

Cr.

By Balance from 1888                                     $  271 56

" Grant from Provincial Government               500 00

" Members' subscriptions                                     664 00

" Sale of  Society's publications                          59 86

"      "   " newspapers                                      20 45

         $1,515 87

 

Quebec, January 7th, 1890.

EDWIN POPE, Treasurer.

 

Examined and found correct.

Quebec, 7th January, 1890.

W. S. BENNETT,

Auditor.

 

REPORT OF THE CURATOR OF THE MUSEUM.

 

The Museum is pretty much in the same position as last year. It would be well were a Taxidermist employed to look over the contents, especially with a view to protecting them against the ravages of moths, but for this necessary work there has been no appropriation made during the past year. It will be necessary for the in-coming Council to take some action in this regard, if the Museum is to be kept in a fit condition.

 

The whole respectfully submitted.

 

W. CLINT,

Curator.

Quebec, 6th January, 1890.

 

On motion of Wm. Hossack, Esq., seconded by Peter Johnston, Esq., the reports were adopted.

 

On motion of Mr. W. A. Ashe, seconded by Mr. C. H. Wood, it was

 

Resolved,—That no President be eligible for re-election after holding office for two years, until at least one year out of office.

 

The election of officers for the year 1890, was then proceeded with. A. Campbell, Esq., and J. M. LeMoine, Esq., were appointed scrutineers. The following gentlemen were duly elected :—

 

President: George Stewart, D.C.L., LL.D., D. Litt., F.R.G.S.

 

1st Vice-President: Wm. Hossack, Esq.

2nd          ": Dr. J. M.Harper, F.E.I. S.

3rd           ": Cyr. Tessier, Esq.

4th           ": Very Revd. Dean Norman, D.D., D.C.L.

 

Treasurer: Edwin Pope, Esq.

Librarian: F. C. Wurtele, Esq.

Recording-Secretary: J. Elton Prower, Esq.

Corresponding-Secretary: W. A. Ashe, Esq., F.R.A.S.

Council-Secretary: W. C. H. Wood, Esq.

Curator of Museum:  Wm. Clint.

Curator of Apparatus: A. Robertson.

 

Additional Members of the Council:—J. M. LeMoine, Esq., Peter Johnston, Esq., A. Campbell, Esq., and R. R. Dobell, Esq.

 

Mr. John Brown was elected a member of the Society. Mr. W. S. Bennett was appointed Auditor. S. Macdonald in charge of the rooms.

 

On motion of Dr. Harper, seconded by Mr. LeMoine, a committee was appointed to provide a series of literary entertainments and a course of lectures during the year.

 

The meeting then adjourned.