NATURAL SCIENCE 



A Monthly Review of Scientific Progress. 



No. 19. Vol III. SEPTEMBER. 1893. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



The British Association. 



BRITISH Science is again preparing for its annual festival, which 

 will be inaugurated by Professor Burdon Sanderson, at Notting- 

 ham, on the evening of September 13. There are, as usual, many mal- 

 contents who disparagingly remark that the association has " had its 

 day " ; and we know a number of eminent biologists and geologists who 

 have declared that this year their vacation shall not be interrupted by 

 attendance at committees and in scientific meeting rooms. There is, 

 however, every prospect that the forthcoming meeting will be no less 

 a success than most of its predecessors ; and the organising 

 committees have done well in arranging a goodly number of interes- 

 ting discussions. We note, moreover, that the President of the section 

 for Geology (Mr. Teall) announces his Address to be not a mere 

 general summary of recent progress, but to deal with no less funda- 

 mental a subject than the Doctrine of Uniformitarianism, as viewed 

 from his own special domain of research. 



If these discussions of wide themes were more generally 

 encouraged than they are, and if the innumerable, desultory, technical 

 papers, often only of local interest, were absolutely refused, the 

 Sectional Meetings would be much more appreciated than is the case 

 at present, and the Report would be relieved of a burden of brief 

 " abstracts " that are of little use to anyone. However much the 

 enthusiast may sneer at the " picnic element " in the gathering, it can 

 never be reduced until narrow specialists are prevented from inflicting 

 the details of their work upon the Sections. The British Association 

 Meeting is a great reunion of amateurs and patrons of Science rather 

 than of professed devotees, and it forms one of the most important 

 sources of revenue upon which the latter can depend for assistance in 

 their investigations. The programme ought, therefore, to be adapted* 



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