40 SIR W. F. HELV-HUTCHINSON. 



viding for the training of its own scientific men. In one of the 

 closing paragraphs of the presidential address occur some sen- 

 tences which claim a special interest in view of the decision, at 

 the following year's meeting, to issue the i\ssociation's Annual 

 Report of its Proceedings thenceforward in monthly issues, under 

 the title of The South African JorRXAL of Science. Sir 

 Walter had been referring to the useful objects which the 

 Association might serve in co-ordinating the manv and diverse 

 factors that, in independence of each other, were working in the 

 interests of scientific advancement. He laid down that the 

 greatest impulse to that advancement would be derived from 

 co-operation and union. 



Take, for instance [he continncd] the question of scientific publica- 

 tions. Scientific papers appear in the pubhcations of various and diverse 

 scientific societies and institutions in South Africa, and here and there in 

 vari(Ui? Agricultural Journals : manj^ are buried in blue-books, if not mum- 

 mified in manuscript, and lie (like Mendel's report, which was commu- 

 nicated to the Krunn Society in i86s, and was lost to view until iQOl), 

 unnoticed and unread, on dusty shelves. But there is no such thing in 

 South Africa as a South African Journal of Science, which might serve as a 

 common channel of ctmimunication between the scientific workers through- 

 out South Africa, and between them and the general public. It has been 

 suggested to me that the foundation of such a journal, which is obviously 

 desirable, would be possible, and that there is no reason why it should 

 not be successful, if managed on the proper lines. It has occurred to me, 

 too, in the course of preparing this address, that we ought to possess, 

 and to publish from time to time (perhaps in the Journal) a summary 

 record of the names and work of those who have devoted themselves, or 

 are devoting tliemselves, to scientific investigation in South Africa. . . . 

 In the matter of scientific development this is relatively a young country; 

 but we are making history in South Africa, in scientific as in other matters: 

 and a sunnuary record of scientific work, kept up to date from year to 

 year by this Association, would be an exceedingly useful work of reference 

 when the time comes to write it. Admission to the record, if entrance to 

 it were, as it should be, carefully guarded by those entrusted with the 

 framing of it, would no doubt be eagerly desired ; and the record itself 

 would bo not only a pledge of the moral support which the Association is 

 desirous of affording to the advancement of science, but a considerable 

 step in tlie direction of systeniatising the work of scientific enquiry. 



In these days, when one finds that, in some phases of scien- 

 tific work, union is even less close than at the time of the South 

 African Association's (Irahamstovn meeting, when it is, more- 

 over, asserted that co-operation a.nd co-ordination in such work- 

 are unnecessary, when it is declared that best results are achieved 

 when the workers operate as discrete units, the closing words of 

 Sir Walter'^ presidential address may well be recalled. 



There is reason to believe [he said] that in the matter of scientific 

 enquiry in South Africa there is, and has been, a considerable amount of 

 duplication, over-lapping, and therefore waste of effort — of repetition of 

 experiments which would have been unnecessary had the experimenters 

 been in closer touch with eacli other — had they been working as parts of 

 one organisation. We hear a great deal in these days of closer union: 

 and whatever brancli of policy or administration be brought under discus- 

 sion oiu- conclusion is alwavs arrived at :—" Under some form 



