Corresponding Societies Committee. -Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. W. WHITAKER (Chairman), Mr. F. W. RUDLER (Secretary), Sir JOHN EVANS, Rev. J. O. BEVAN, Dr. HORACE T. BROWN, Dr. VAUGHAN CORNISH, Dr. J. G. GARSON, Mr. T. V. HOLMES, Mr. J. HOPKINSON, Professor R. MELDOLA, Dr. H. R. MILL, Mr. C. H. READ, Rev. T. R. R. STEBBING, and Professor W. W. WATTS. (Drawn up by the Secretary.)

THE Corresponding Societies Committee have to report that at their suggestion, since the last meeting, the Council of the British Association have resolved to recommend to the General Committee that the work at present entrusted to the Secretaries of the Sectional Committees under Rule 10 (p. xxxvii of the last Report) shall henceforth devolve upon the Organising Committees. The effect of this alteration will be that the Organising Committee of each Section will transmit to the Secretaries of Sections, and through these to the Secretaries of the Conference of Delegates, any recommendations bearing upon matters in which the co-operation of the Corresponding Societies is desired. It is hoped that by this means the Organising Committees will specify what local work can be usefully undertaken by the Corresponding Societies, with the view of assisting the various scientific Committees of the Association.

The Council of the Association, at the instance of a Committee which they appointed to consider the relation of the Corresponding Societies to the Association, have directed that an official invitation should be addressed to the various Societies, through the Corresponding Societies Committee, asking them to appoint standing British Association SubCommittees to be elected by themselves with the object of dealing with all those subjects of investigation common to their Societies and to the British Association Committees, and to look after the general interests of science and scientific education throughout the provinces and provincial centres.

For further consideration of these subjects a Conference was held on June 24 between the Committee of Council and the Corresponding Societies Committee, when it was decided that the questions raised in the Report of the Committee of Council should be brought forward for discussion at the Conference of Delegates at Southport.

The following circular-letter was accordingly addressed to the Presidents, Secretaries, and Delegates of the various Corresponding Societies:

'Burlington House, London, W.,

'June 24, 1903.

'DEAR SIR,-We are directed by the Council of the British Association for the Advancement of Science to suggest to your Society the advan tage of securing closer co-operation with the Corresponding Societies Committee by the appointment of a Special Committee to deal with such subjects of investigation as are common to your Society and to the Committees of the British Association. Such an organisation, it is believed, might be of great use in creating and sustaining local interest in scientific work and in increasing the scientific activity of your Society.

1903.

The subject of Scientific Education in relation to the Corresponding Societies has been under the consideration of a Committee of the Council of this Asssociation, and that Committee have expressed the opinion that Immense benefit would accrue to the country if the Corresponding Societies, in addition to their present work, were to take advantage of the expert knowledge of many of their members to secure adequate representation for scientific education on the Education Committees now being appointed under the new Act. The Educational Section of the Association having been but recently added, the Corresponding Societies have not had much opportunity for taking part in this branch of the Association's work, and in view of the reorganisation in education now going on all over the country the Committee are of opinion that no more opportune time is likely to occur for the influence of scientific organisations to make itself felt as a real factor in national education. They do hot at present think it desirable to formulate any definite scheme by which the Corresponding Societies might be of service to the cause of scientific education. Some Societies might prefer to form Educational Consultative Committees, and to place their services at the disposal of the Education Authority of their County or Borough. Others might prefer that individual members of their Societies should be added to the Education Committee; and others again might prefer to act indirectly by helping to foster public opinion in favour of that kind of education which it is the chief function of a scientific body such as the British Association to promote.

We are directed by the Council of this Association to invite your Society to express its opinion on this subject through its representative at the next Conference of the Delegates of Corresponding Societies, which will be held at Southport on September 10 and 15, during the Meeting of the British Association, when the matter will form a specific subject for discussion.

For your fuller information a copy of the Report of the Committee of Council of the British Association is enclosed herewith.

6

We are, Sir, yours faithfully,

'F. W. RUDLER, Sec. Corresponding Soc. Com. ; J. G. GARSON, Asst. General Secretary.'

The Committee have to report that the returns received from the Corresponding Societies show that in some instances good work is being accomplished locally, though in most cases only to a very limited extent. In reply to a Circular of Inquiry, eighteen Societies state that they have done something during the past year in the way of original investigation. The subjects which have received most attention relate to geological and botanical research.

A Circular similar to that which was printed in last year's Report (p. 863) was addressed to the Secretaries of the various Committees of the Association and others desirous of obtaining the co-operation of the Corresponding Societies, inquiring what assistance had been rendered by the Local Societies. It is unfortunate, however, that the replies to this inquiry have not been of a very encouraging character.

The Elgin and Morayshire Literary and Scientific Association has been added to the list of Corresponding Societies; the Cardiff Naturalists' Society and the Natural History Society of Glasgow have been replaced ; and the West of Scotland Marine Biological Association has withdrawn.

The Committee recommend the continued investigation of the various subjects set forth in last year's Report (pp. 852, 853), with the addition of meteorological observations, including especially records of rainfall.

With regard to the attendance of Delegates at the Conference, it is desirable to point out that each representative is expected to be present at both meetings. As a matter of fact, however, many absent themselves from one of the two meetings, whilst in several cases the Delegate fails to attend either. This was conspicuously the case at Belfast.

The Committee greatly regret that considerable delay arose in the issue of the Report of last year's Conference. This delay was due to the failure of the shorthand writers at Belfast to send in any Report of the meeting.

Several valuable suggestions as to subjects suitable for discussion at the Conference of Delegates have been received, and the Committee have decided that at the Southport Conference the following subjects shall receive discussion :

1. The work of the Corresponding Societies in relation to scientific organisation.

2. The botanical survey of counties.

3. Exploration and registration work for county Local Societies.

Report of the Conferences of Delegates of Corresponding Societies
held at Southport, September 1903.

The Conferences were held on Thursday, September 10, and Tuesday, September 15, at 3 o'clock P.M., in the Chapel Street Congregational Schools.

The following Corresponding Societies nominated Delegates to represent them at the Conferences. The attendance of the Delegates is indicated in the list by the figures 1 and 2 placed in the margin opposite to the name of each Society, and referring respectively to the first and second meetings. Where no figure is shown it will be understood that the Delegate did not attend.1

1

List of Societies sending Delegates.

Andersonian Naturalists' Society
Bath Natural History and Antiqua-
rian Field Club.

Belfast Naturalists' Field Club
Belfast Natural History and Philoso-
phical Society.

1 2 Berwickshire Naturalists' Club.
Birmingham and Midland Institute
Scientific Society.

1 Birmingham Natural History and

Philosophical Society.

Buchan Field Club

Rev. A. S. Wilson, M.A., B.Sc.
Rev. C. W. Shickle, M.A., F.S.A.

Professor Gregg Wilson, D.Sc.
Professor Gregg Wilson, D.Sc.

G. P. Hughes.
C. J. Watson.

Herbert Stone, F.L.S.

J. F. Tocher, F.I.C.

The attendances are taken from the Attendance-Book, which each Delegate is expected to sign on entering the Conference.

Midland Institute of Mining, Civil, G. B. Walker.

and Mechanical Engineers.

2 Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists'

1 2 South-Eastern Union of Scientific Rev. R. A. Bullen, B.A.

The

This Conference was presided over by Mr. W. Whitaker. Corresponding Societies Committee was represented by Mr. Whitaker, the Rev. J. O. Bevan, the Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing, Professor W. W. Watts, Mr. J. Hopkinson, and Mr. Rudler.

The Report of the Corresponding Societies Committee was read.

The Chairman, after some introductory remarks, said that the Conference was honoured by the presence of Sir Norman Lockyer, the President of the Association, who had kindly promised to address the Delegates on the necessity of organising science, with special reference to the question whether the British Association can help in any way, and, if so, whether the Corresponding Societies could take any part therein.

Sir Norman Lockyer spoke as follows: I should like to say that my object in asking permission to attend this meeting was to listen, and not to talk. I have never had the privilege of attending a meeting of the Delegates before, and I was very anxious indeed to be allowed to follow the discussion, in order that I might inform myself as to the views of the Delegates themselves regarding some lines of the work of the British Association which I ventured to refer to last night. My own opinion is that in all these matters the principle of organic growth should be utilised as far as possible; and you may remember I suggested in my address that if the British Association in its wisdom determines to take any action at all in regard to the formation of a Guild of Science, which I hold would be one of the most important things which students of science should do at the present time, it is important to see whether or not that could best be done in connection with the existing organisation of the Corresponding Societies. It is stated in the reports, and I cited it in my address, that there are seventy societies affiliated to the British Association, and that the membership is something like 25,000. I went on to suggest in my ignorance possibly, that we might very largely increase that number both at home and abroad, so that ultimately we should have a very large membership. The reason I ventured to make that suggestion was that I felt the present moment was very opportune for the formation of such a body, because you have throughout the kingdom, from Land's End to John o' Groats, a great number of Councils-county councils, city councils, town councils, district councils, parish councils, and goodness knows what-and it struck me that if we could manage somehow to influence the debates of these bodies, it would be very much better for science, and ultimately, I think, very much to the benefit of the Association. I am a very humble person, a very hardworking man, and I have been working for the last forty years to try in my little way to get adopted some better views of science in this country. Well, I am a miserable failure, and all the people who have made similar endeavours are like me-miserable failures. We have done absolutely nothing. So far as my experience goes, all the attempts made by individuals during the last forty years→→