78 NATURAL SCIENCE. Feb., 



The Bibliographic Conference. 



We have at intervals alluded to the schemes of the Royal 

 Society for the preparation of a complete catalogue of scientific 

 papers, from the year 1900 onwards, classified under both authors 

 and subjects. We have retailed to our readers such information as 

 we could glean from our foreign contemporaries, or as was supplied 

 to us by our foreign correspondents. From some papers which the 

 Royal Society has at last kindly supplied to us, and from the recent 

 address of Lord Kelvin, a few additional facts may now attain the 

 publicity they deserve. Through the Foreign, India, and Colonial 

 Offices invitations have been sent to the Governments of the twenty- 

 one nations that are engaged in scientific work, of India, and of our 

 colonies, to send representatives to a conference to be held in London 

 during the first half of July next. It is proposed that the represen- 

 tatives appointed should communicate beforehand with the Royal 

 Society, and make suggestions, by the help of which, as well as of 

 those already received in preliminary correspondence, the President 

 and Council might draw up some outline scheme which could serve 

 as a basis for discussion, both before and during the conference. 



In the original letter, dated 1894, which asked scientific bodies 

 and individuals for their opinions, the scope of the catalogue was 

 confined to scientific literature. This letter produced favourable 

 replies. In the letters of August 15, 1895, it is proposed that the 

 catalogue " shall be as complete as possible, in respect to all papers 

 and other publications and works relating to pure and applied 

 science." This extension will, without doubt, treble or quadruple the 

 task, which even before was of appalling magnitude, and it is not 

 surprising that it has — so our foreign correspondents inform us — met 

 with strenuous opposition. We learn, for instance, that the Berlin 

 Academy has signified its strong disapproval by declining to send 

 a representative to the Conference, and that the Swedish Academy 

 is not unlikely to follow suit. Doubtless the inclusion of engineering, 

 medicine, and sanitation will gain financial support from practical 

 men ; but it will enormously increase the cost, and pure science 

 may get stranded on the way. Certainly it is hard to see what 

 the Berlin and Swedish Academies, or even the Royal Society, 

 have to do with drains, electropathic belts, or liquid manure. 

 Patentees and purveyors of such goods are able to take care of 

 themselves. But surely the objectors would do better to give their 

 arguments first and to retire afterwards. The object of a conference 

 is to promote criticism, and to sulk in a corner is hardly a courteous 

 response to a courteous invitation. 



Among the details to be discussed at the Conference are : the 

 question of language, for which English appears to have the suffrages 

 of the majority ; the mode of quoting titles, which most people wisely 

 think should be in the original language, though a few would restrict 

 them to English, French, or German, and perhaps Italian ; the 



