THE GREAT STAR MAP 9 



failed to impress their colleagues from the most distant parts 

 of the world. It would be difficult indeed to imagine a more 

 pleasing centre for our meetings than Paris or a nation more 

 admirably adapted to play the part of hosts than the French ; 

 and they have been rewarded by an increasing success in 

 the gatherings. At the last meeting it became clear that the 

 assembly had developed from a mere collection of those 

 interested in a particular project into an organisation of the 

 world's resources for the promotion of the astronomy of 

 position. The physical side of astronomy has recently been 

 organised on somewhat similar lines (profiting no doubt by 

 the example provided), and the existence of these two great 

 organisations will have a notable effect in economising our 

 labours in the future. In 1887 such an important outcome was 

 scarcely anticipated : attention was then concentrated on the 

 immediate task before the assembly, w^hich was a difficult 

 one in every way. Astronomers from distant quarters of the 

 globe speaking different languages, none of them with much 

 experience of photography or of its possibilities but most of 

 them with opinions more or less formed, met together to try 

 and secure unanimity, not only in generalities but equally 

 in small details. We need not be surprised at some of the 

 results. The discussions were, to say the least of it, animated. 

 There are no universal rules for conducting such business and 

 astronomers of one country were not familiar with rules in 

 use elsewhere. It interested Englishmen, for instance, who 

 are accustomed to have resolutions moved by any one rather 

 than the chairman, to learn that this was by no means a 

 universal rule. On the contrary, the chairman of the first 

 conference considered it part of his duties to move all the 

 resolutions. After listening to a discussion, he took it to be 

 his function to summarise .the sense of the meeting in a 

 resolution which he put from the chair and in favour of which 

 he held up his own hand. Unfortunately for his success his 

 was sometimes the only hand held up and the discussion was 

 necessarily resumed. Another feature of such discussions on 

 the Continent is a little strange to our insular prejudices but 

 might perhaps be adopted by us with advantage. Occasions 

 sometimes arise when the collision of contrary opinions pro- 

 duces considerable heat and there is an obvious desire on the 

 part of two gentlemen (or even more) to speak at the same 



