The visit of the British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science in August, 1914, to which we had been looking forward 

 with so much interest as the scientific event of the year, took 

 place under favourable conditions. It is gratifying to learn that 

 the visitors consider the Australian Meeting to have been an 

 unqualified success, notwithstanding the outbreak of hostilities 

 in Europe; that they appreciated the hospitality ofi'ered; and 

 that the arrangements generally, possible only by the co-opera- 

 tion of the Commonwealth and State Governments, Civic author- 

 ities. Universities, the local Officers and Members, and prominent 

 citizens, met with cordial approval. The Federal Handbook, as 

 well as those provided by the several States, also received warm 

 commendation. Our thanks and appreciation for this excellent 

 series, likely to be our standard works of reference until the 

 British Association makes its second visit, as we hope it will, are 

 no less due to all those who co-operated in their production, and 

 to the Governments which provided for their publication. From 

 our point of view, the Meeting was no less successful. We had 

 looked forward to the opportunity of meeting and hearing dis- 

 tinguished British representatives of Science, as well as some 

 from other countries, and of discussing Australian problems or 

 the Australian aspect of larger problems. But we also hoped 

 that seeing something of Australia for themselves, might lead to 

 a better appreciation, on the part of our visitors, of the dis- 

 abilities which attend Australian workers — the immense field of 

 work open to us, the paucity of workers and their almost un- 

 avoidable centralisation in the capital cities, the remoteness of 

 these not only from the great centres of intellectual activity in 

 distant lands but from each other, with concomitant drawbacks 

 arising from our isolation from the great libraries and reference- 

 collections of older countries. We may hope that the British 

 Association will continue to visit Australia periodically, for such 

 visits may be expected to have educational results of the two- 

 fold character indicated, as well as to promote a wider sympathy 

 and a more systematic co-operation between the workers of the 

 Empire, and with other countries whose representatives may be 

 able to take part in the Meetings. 



