(though most were involved in politics). In July of 1884, the current Chieftain, Andrew Archibald MacDonald, was appointed lieutenant- governor, an attestation both to the reputability of the office-bearers, and to the club’s ongoing dignified make-up.‘2

The 18805 were a time of slight change for the Caledonian Club —— a time of increased concentration of finances and activities in areas of assistance for the province’s poor and unfortunate. A similar program had been initiated at the time of the 1866 Charlottetown fire, but little was done after the reintroduction of the Highland Games in 1875. In 1881, the club gave its first formal donation of money to be distributed among the poor of Charlottetown. Toward the end of 1882, an en- tertainment committee was formed of members to organize programs and raise money for the relief of the poor. In 1885, the club cancelled its annual St. Andrew’s Day dinner out of concern for the smallpox epidemic of that year. (The members did meet in their club room, however, and elected the office-bearers for 1886.) And, in January, 1889, the members held the first Burns Concert and began a tradition of tribute to the Scottish poet and fund—raising for the poor that was to continue under the auspices of this society for a number of years.“3

The annual Burns Concerts were the most extensive and successful occasions undertaken by the club since its formation and the in— troduction of the Highland Games in 1864. They consisted of an evening — or, by the 19105, two evenings — around the 25th of January (Burns’ birthday) of Scottish music, songs, poetry, and dances. The best talent in the province gathered to perform. And from town and country flocked people “to hear the soul-stirring music commemorative of the days of “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” to witness the dances,”“ and listen to the acclaim lavished on Scottish heroes of earlier times. It was a day when any person that could, would lay claim to his Scottish ancestry. Even the town merchants were caught up in the spirit of the activities. It was much more than a fund-raising effort for charity; it was an evening of rollicking celebration.

This night where—ever'Scotchmen meet, At home or far ayont the brine Fond hearts the claim of memory greet Wi “Bonnie Doon” and “Auld Lang Syne.”

The Caledonian Club reached the summit of its development by the end of the nineteenth century. It had evolved around groups of men eager to preserve all the efforts and activities of their predecessors,

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