Literary and Historical Society of Quebec

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 13TH JANUARY 1909

 

The annual general meeting was held on the 13th January, 1909, in the Rooms of the Society, at ten a.m. Dr. G. W. Parmelee, President, occupied the chair, and there were present: Messrs. C. Tessier, Col. Neilson, Dr. Harper, S. Lesage, E. T. D. Chambers, F. Lampson, W. Clint, D. H. Geggie, J. T. Ross, Col. Turnbull, Rev- F. G. Scott, John Hamilton, J. Brown, James Geggie, Capt. Boulton, P. Gagnon, A. Robertson, D. Watson, M. de Preston, P. B Casgrain, A. H. Cook, Rev. A. T. Love.

 

After routine proceedings the President read the report of the Council for the past year as follows :

 

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1908

 

The Council of the Literary and Historical Society has to report a year of unusual success in several directions. The outstanding feature of the year has been the culmination of a long and uninterrupted series of benefactions from Dr. J. Douglas, the Honorary President of the Society. As you all know, he has for some years given, apart from minor contributions, the sum of $500 annually to be expended in the purchase of books and in the publication of Historical Documents. On his last visit to the Society as lecturer last winter, he suggested a commutation of his annual contribution which he undoubtedly all along intended to be a permanent annual gift. Through Col. Neilson as intermediary, Dr. Douglas conveyed the sum of $10,000 to the Society by notarial deed on the 5th of May, 1908, constituting thereby John Theodore Ross, Esq., and A. H Cook, Esq., trustees, with full power to invest and to administer these funds, and to account for the dividends to the Society.

 

This magnificent gift was duly accepted by the Society, and suitable acknowledgement was made to the generous donor.

 

This endowment places the Society in such a sound financial condition that the Society may expect not only to continue the good work of the past, but to enlarge it in many ways in the near future.

 

In respect of finances, upon which so much depends, the Society has improved its position notably during the past decade. The generous legacy of the late Mrs. Turnbull, in 1904, of $5,000, brought the endowment over $8,000 so that the Society will have dividends in the future on about $18,000.

 

It is fitting that reference should be made to the continued good will of the Governors of Morrin College, to whom the Society is indebted for the use of its rooms free of charge, and for the continued annual contribution of $250 towards our current expenses.

 

Negotiations are under way by which it is expected that the room known as the Aylwin Library Room will be put in order and secured for the use of the Society, with the Aylwin books.

 

Another annual meeting will probably have a report to the effect that the proposed scheme has been carried out. This will nearly double our floor space and will make our Library and Rooms compare very favorably with those in other cities similar in population to Quebec.

 

LECTURES

 

It is perhaps not too much to say that in the number and character of the lectures provided last winter the Society has never been more fortunate. The opening lecture was delivered by Mr. P. B. Casgrain, President at the time, and was succeeded by lectures given by Prof. Colby, of McGill, Prof. Wrong, of Toronto University, Dr. Douglas, J. B. Hance, Prof. Cox, of McGill, the Rev. Dr. Barclay and Sir Charles Fitzpatrick. Captain Boulton's lecture, delivered on the 4th of this month naturally falls into the lecture course which is being prepared for the present season under arrangements similar to those of last winter. You will have noticed that the invitations to these lectures were issued in the joint name of the Society and the Governors of Morrin College. This was because of the fact that the Governors generously undertook to pay all the expenses that were incurred by securing lecturers from a distance and in giving them a reasonable remuneration. On this account the joint lecture committee of Morrin College and the Society were able to secure men who could hardly have been expected otherwise to come to Quebec.

 

Although the membership of the Society, considering the advantages it offers, still leaves something to be desired, it is satisfactory to note the fact that the net accession to our membership this year amounts to twenty-six. The new members are thirty-five in number, and the losses by death and removal are nine.

 

It is interesting and encouraging to note that while in the year 1902 the fees collected from members amounted to only $390, since then there has been a regular increase year by year, until now the Treasurer reports the receipts from this source as $621. Although it has always been the policy of the Society to keep the fees at a nominal rate in order to make the Library practically a public library, the additional income from this source is a welcome addition to the funds of the Society, but it is even more a gratifying indication of the appreciation shown by the citizens of Quebec of the work the Society endeavors to accomplish.

 

It is known to all Quebecers that this city has the distinction of claiming the first steamship, the "Royal William," that ever crossed the Atlantic wholly under its own steam. Last year Mr. F. C. Wurtele heard of an oil painting of this steamship in England which had been made from the object. Knowing that Dr. Douglas was soon going to England, Mr. Wurtele asked him to examine the painting. The result was that Dr. Douglas purchased the painting and presented it to the Society through Mr. Wurtele.

 

Valuable historically and intrinsically as the painting is, from a personal point of view more interest will be taken by the members of the Society in the portrait of Dr. Douglas, which the Council has hung in the Rooms.

 

Col. Neilson has been the fortunate possessor of the prayer-book of the celebrated missionary to the Indians, Pere Marquette, which had been translated into the Indian tongue, and which Pere Marquette had used for many years in his wilderness parish. This prayer-book has been reproduced in fac-simile as to the pages and bound, with the arms of the Society, at the expense of Dr. Douglas. To the Society he has given some 250 copies, which are to be used for exchange with learned societies, and for gift to distinguished persons to whom the Society may wish to return a compliment.

 

Your Council considered very carefully many schemes for participating in the Tercentenary Celebrations of the memorable summer last year, but unfortunately for us the magnitude of the preparations made by the Tercentenary Committee with their almost unlimited financial resources was such as to make the Council feel the inadequacy of anything within the limits of its powers.

 

However, special care was taken to offer the hospitality of the rooms to any who should like to visit them, and a certain expense was incurred in conjunction with Morrin College and St. Andrew's Society to illuminate the building in a fitting manner.

 

At the end of last month the Council was invited to send delegates to a meeting in Washington of the American Historical Association. The Council was fortunate in being represented at the meeting by the Honorary President, Dr. Douglas, and by Col. Neilson who has made an interesting report of the proceedings.

 

So far this report has been one of progress and satisfaction. It remains to introduce a note of sorrow.

 

Since our last annual meeting four members of the Society have passed beyond the veil, leaving behind them memories of integrity, ability, and character beyond the common. Quebec as a whole, as well as this Society, mourns the loss of F. H. Andrews, William Brodie, William Simmons and Justice Blanchet.

 

The whole respectfully submitted.

G. W. PARMELEE,

President

A. ROBERTSON,

Recording-Secretary

 

Quebec, 13th January, 1909.

REPORT OF THE TREASURER.

 

Mr. James Geggie presented his Annual Report as Treasurer, which showed a balance to the credit of the various accounts of $1,205.82. Members' subscriptions amounted to $671.00. The annual grant of $250 to the Book Fund was received from Morrin College, the Governors of which also granted the Society the use of the Rooms rent free.

 

LIBRARIAN'S REPORT.

 

The Report of the Librarian, Mr- E. T. D. Chambers, was as follows:—

 

At the last annual meeting of the Literary and Historical Society it was a matter of much gratification to your Honorary Librarian to be able to refer to the year then just ended as one of almost unexampled progress. In support of this statement it was shown that the issue of books from the Library for that year reached the large number of 4592 volumes, against 3941 in the twelve months preceding. Without any very large increase in the membership of the Society, these figures were very gratifying. How much more so, therefore, is the record for 1908, showing a circulation during the year of 5130 volumes!

 

Notwithstanding this large increase in the issue of books from the Library, it is eminently satisfactory to note that only 161 of the books at present in circulation have been out of the Library more than the prescribed period of two weeks.

 

The following classification may be made of the books issued from the Library during the past year.—

Fiction            : 3,390

History: 554

Biography: 404

Sport and Travel: 308

Science and Art: 42

Poetry: 86

General Literature: 256

Magazines: 90

Total: 5,130

 

The fact that nearly two-thirds of the books issued from the Library have to be classified as fiction affords some food for reflection.

 

The Editor of Harper's Magazine recently reported that statements received from a number of English and American Librarians indicated somewhat of a falling oft in novel reading, and without any intention of sermonizing it may be permitted to your Librarian to point out to the younger frequenters of the library that there is romance enough for every healthy taste in the carefully selected works of history, biography, science, sport and travel, constantly being added to our shelves, and of a character that seldom leaves a bitter taste behind. As far as it is possible to do so every precaution is taken to ensure a clean selection of the fiction so much in demand, and which has been tolerated by the Society for the last few years ; but it is constantly borne in mind in the purchase of new books that the Society was chartered for purposes of literary, historical and scientific research, and to works that may fairly be classified under these heads our grants for new books are mainly devoted.

 

The Library has been enriched during the year by the addition of 242 volumes by purchase, and of 68 bound volumes by donation and exchange, making a total addition to our shelves of 310 volumes altogether, exclusive of 225 unbound donations and exchanges.

 

A large number of English works ordered some time before the end of the year has been expected for some time past.

 

The Society has been extremely fortunate in many of the donations of books received by it during the year. By one of our corresponding members, George Parkin Winship, Esq., of Providence R. I., we have been presented with a reprint of the Invitation Sérieuse aux Habitants des Illinois, of which the original was printed in Philadelphia in 1772: a very rare biographical item, being No. 13 of an edition of 100 copies.

 

Mr. John T. Ross has placed us under deep obligations by his very handsome gifts of two remarkable sets of books, namely sixteen volumes of Italian Literature published by the Grolier Society, and nine volumes of the History of India, issued by the National Alumni. Both of these works are veritable editions de luxe, and to a due appreciation of the value of their contents it is a pleasure to add our testimony to the perfect triumph of the bookmaker's art achieved in their printing and binding- Upon the acceptable character of such gifts it is unnecessary to enlarge.

 

Professor George W. Wrong, of Toronto University, generously sent me for presentation to the Society, volume I of Lescarbot's History of New France, in the elegant edition recently issued by the Champlain Society.

 

From the Rev. A. T. Love we have received a copy of the memorial volume of St. Andrew's Church.

 

On behalf of the Misses Nettle, of Ottawa, I was requested to present to the Society the handsome portrait of their late father, Richard Nettle, a former well-known Quebecer, the author of the "Salmon Fisheries of the St. Lawrence," and the father of Fish Culture in Canada. These ladies also sent us five volumes of the Library of Choice Literature.

 

G. M. Fairchild, Esq., presented the Society with the bound volume of the Quebec Mercury for 1838, one of the most eventful years of the century in this province. The

volume had previously belonged to the Society, but was lost, strayed, or stolen" many years ago, and lately came by purchase, with other papers, into Mr. Fairchild's possession.

 

Our President, Dr. Parmelee, has given us a photograph of Duberger's model of Quebec, and to Colonel Lindsay we are indebted for a volume of the "Journal of American History."

 

Others from whom we have received donations for the Library and Museum are Messrs. Phileas Gagnon, who presented a copy of the last bulletin of the Geographical Society of Quebec, containing several valuable papers on Champlain ; Georges Roy who again sent us his interesting Bulletin Recherches Historiques; A. Gagnon, to whom we are indebted for two volumes of L'Amérique Précolombienne; F. C. Wurtele who has supplied us with the Diocesan Gazette, the New York State Museum which has sent us more of its memoirs, and an unknown donor from whom we have received a work entitled "Outlines of Theosophy."

 

It is not surprising that the Champlain Tercentenary Celebration of last summer caused a noticeable demand for reading matter dealing with early Canadian History, and it is gratifying to note that some of our reference books proved of considerable assistance to the workers in the Pageant, and in some of the other features of the celebration.

 

And finally, duty and gratitude alike make it incumbent upon the undesigned to emphasize the indebtedness of the Library to Dr. Douglas and the Governors of Morrin College, for the special grants of money given by them for the purchase of new books, without which the additions to our shelves would be small indeed.

The whole respectfully submitted-

E. T. D. CHAMBERS,

Hon. Librarian.

 Quebec, 13th January, 1909.

 

The foregoing reports were then, on motion, adopted and ordered to be printed.

 

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

 

Captain Boulton and Mr. de Preston having been requested to act as scrutineers the meeting proceeded to ballot for Officers and Council for the ensuing year, with the following results:—

 

Hon. President—James Douglas, D.C.L., Spuyten Duyvil, N.Y.

Hon. Vice-President—Sir James M. Le Moine, D.C.L., F.RS.C.

President—G. W. Parmelee, D.C.L.

Vice-Presidents — J. T. Ross, Col. J. F. Turnbull, A. H. Cook, K.C., Dr. J. M. Harper.

Treasurer—Jas. Geggie.

Recording-Secretary—A. Robertson, K.C.

Council Secretary—W. Clint.

Corresponding Secretary — Lieut.-Colonel Crawford Lindsay.

Librarian—E- T. D. Chambers.

Curator of Museum—Phileas Gagnon.

Curator of Apparatus—Col. H. Neilson.

Additional Members of Council—Rev. P. M. O'Leary. Rev. F. G. Scott, D.C.L., F.R.S.C., S. Lesage, John Hamilton, D.C.L.