Report of the Council of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, for the Year 1893[1]

 

[Originally published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Transactions, New Series, No. 22 (1898)]

 

Annual general meeting :   10th January, 1894

ANNUAL REPORT

 

The annual general meeting of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec was held on "Wednesday morning, 10th January, 1894, at 10 o'clock, in the library of the Society. There was a very good attendance of Members. Cyrille Tessier. Esq., President, in the chair. After reading the minutes of the last monthly meeting the President submitted the annual report of the Society for the  past year :

 

Report of the Council of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec for the year ending 31sf December, 1893.

 

Seventy years have run since His Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie then Governor General of Canada, called a meeting at the historic Chateau of St. Louis, of the elite of Quebec citizens, under guidance of the late Dr. John C. Fisher, an Oxford graduate, founded the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. Its general object was the promotion of Literature and its special aim was to disseminate the publications and documents bearing on the history of our country. Latterly our Librarian, Mr. F. C. Wiirtele, after considerable research has prepared and published under the auspices of the Society a report of the scientific works produced by the leading members or lecturers of thé Association, from its inception. Among these were : Chief Justice J. Sewell, Dr. John Charlton Fisher, Admiral Bayfield, General Baddeley, R. E., George B. Faribault, Honorable William Shepherd, John Langton, Honorable T. D'Arcy McGee, Commander Ashe, R. N., James Douglas, Honorable P. J. 0. Chauveau ; the Historians Garneau, Casgrain, LeMoine, Miles, Turcotte ; John Reade, F. R. S. E., General Noble, R. A-., Lieutenant Colonel Strange, R. A., Andrew Stuart, Amable Berthelot, Dr. J. W. Anderson, Bishop Mountain, Revd. Dr. Wilkie, Dr. George Stewart, Honorable Hector Fabre, Alfred Sandham, E. A. Meredith, Professor Goldwin Smith, Dr. J. M. Harper, Fred. C. Wùrtele, Arch. Campbell and a host of others. On perusing the Society's transactions, disseminated now over the whole world, you will, the Council is sure, admit, that the Society has not been recreant to the useful scientific mission which its illustrious founder contemplated.

 

Leaving aside these creditable memories of a bright past, and descending to a progressive present, the frequenters of these rooms must have rejoiced in the many recent improvements carried out by successive councils such as the introduction of electric light, of registers to heat the room elegant book shelves and a choice selection of magazines and reviews, in addition to standard scientific works purchased:

 

But, gentlemen, this brilliant vision of the past, and its course of desired improvements of the present must now, we fear, come to an   end,  unless some means are devised to replenish our exchequer.

 

During the year just expired, your Council has had chiefly to study the financial position of your Society and its future prospects.

 

It has seriously considered the means which might be taken to find a substitute for the annual grant which the Provincial Government was wont of offer our Society in. consideration of the valuable services which it rendered and of the aid which it afforded to the student of history particularly the history of our country and of this continent.

 

The subscriptions from members are not and-have never been sufficient to meet the necessary expenses and needs of the Society and, unless the list of associate members be more than doubled, other means will have to be found to keep it in existence.

 

A Society of this kind should be sheltered and protected from and against the fluctuations periodically arising in its list of paying members, and as, for the future, it would be imprudent to rely on Government aid, your council is of the opinion that the citizens not only of Quebec, but of the whole Province, should help in the formation of an endowment fund, which would be safely invested and whose revenue or interest would help the Society iu furthering its useful aims, we therefor make an appeal to all who are in a position to aid an institution which is of such great public utility.

 

It must not be lost sight of that the Literary and Historical Society is not only the oldest of Quebec literary association but that it has for its objects in addition to those which are common to others, that of publishing historical documents, which are of great use to the historiographer and which are exchanged for invaluable transactions and publications of the learned Societies all over the world. It is therefore of paramount interest that it should be put in a position to continue without interruption its valuable publications, as the suspension of its useful action would be little short of a public calamity. The report of the Treasurer will be shortly submitted to you, and will show in detail the monetary condition of our Society.

 

It has been a great pleasure for us all to hear the once familiar voice of a worthy friend of the Society in the person of Professor James Douglas, who kindly consented to act as the delegate of our Society in Spain,and who kindly consented to give an interesting account of his travels on the continent during the festivities organized to celebrate the discovery of the new world.

 

The Honorable Mr. Joly de Lotbinière was good enough to favor us with a very useful paper on the most rapid and economical way of growing forest trees, exhibiting to his audience specimens of black walnut and other trees the produce of his own experience on his manor property at Point-Platon. The Very Reverend Dr. Norman, Dean of Quebec's paper on Julius Csesar was also very highly appreciated. We have to lament the removal by death of the following members of our Society : Q-. Colley (a life-member)  Messrs.  S.  H.  Holt,  T.  H. Jones, Commissary General M. Bell Irvine, C. M. G., and Messrs C. A. Scott and W. A. Ashe.

 

If the financial position of our Society is not what we would wish it to be, on the other hand, its importance in other respects is certainly growing as is evidenced by the daily increasing number aud value of donations and exchanges which are to be found in our reading room.

The whole respectfully submitted,

 

CYR. TESSIER,

President.

 

Quebec, 31st December, 1893.

 

REPORT   OF   THE   LIBRARIAN.

From financial reasons only nineteen vols, were purchased during the past year, but the accessions to the library by exchange and donation have been 296, viz :—59 bound and 236 unbound vols. The issues during the year have been 1,427 vols, viz :

 

(list of books missing)

 

125 of which are out over time. The card catalogue is progressing, all books in the room have been entered except those on the gallery which are being rearranged and classified preparatory to the work of cataloguing being continued.

 

The exchange list still retains our old friends and has been augmented by several new ones—the Government of New South "Wales, the Australasian Association for the advancement of Science. The Polynesian Society, the Royal Society of Queensland, the Natural History Society of Australasia and the Long Island Historical Society. All whose publications contain most valuable information of every description, and from the tenor of many letters received from different parts of the world, our transactions and historical documents are eagerly sought for and much appreciated by all the Societies with whom we exchange, which shows that the prestige of the old Society has not waned all assertions to the contrary notwithstanding.

 

F. C. WURTELE,

Librarian.

 

Quebec, 80th December, 1893.

 

It was resolved that the reports be adopted and published.

 

Messrs. C. Judge and W. H. Carter, Esq., were named scrutineers and the election of officers for the ensuing year was proceeded with.

President:                  A. Campbell, Esq.

1st Vice-President:            Very Revd. R. W. Norman, D.D.,

                                   the Dean of Quebec.

2nd Vice-President:            Wm. Hossack, Esq.

3rd Vice-President:            P. B. Casgrain, Esq.

4th Vice-President:            John Hamilton, Esq.

Treasurer:                James G-eggie, Esq.

Librarian:                  E. C. Wurtele, Esq.

Recording Secretary: T. A. Young, Esq. Corresponding Secretary. A. Robertson, Esq.

Council Secretary:     Capt. "Wm. Wood.

Curator of Museum:            Wm. Clint, Esq.

Curator of Apparatus:  James Morgan, Esq.

Additional Members of Council: —J. M. LeMoine, Esq., P. Johnston, Esq., Cyrille Tessier, Esq.,  W. H. Carter, Esq.

Auditor:—W. S. Bennett, Esq.

Custodian of the Rooms:—J. W. Strachan.

 

The President then vacated the chair, and it was moved by the Very Rev. Dean of Quebec, and seconded by Wm. Hossack, Esq., that the cordial thanks of the society be and are hereby tendered to the outgoing President Cyrille Tessier, Esq., for his valuable and efficient services in the chair for the past two years—Carried.

 

It was moved by J. M. Lemoine, Esq., and seconded by ¥m. Hossack, Esq., that it is with extreme regret that this Society since its last meeting has to record the death of one of its Vice-Presidents, W. A. Ashe, Esq., F. E. Q-. S., who always took a deep interest in its welfare and an active part in its affairs both at the council board and in the lecture room.

 

They wish also to express their sincere sympathy with Mrs. Ashe in this severe bereavement.

 

The usual sale of Newspapers and Magazines took place and the meeting adjourned.