856 Professor Arthur Schuster [May 18, 



the British Association in the subject. Ever since 1880 that Associa- 

 tion has been an active supporter of seismic investigations. The much 

 distm'bed region of the Japanese islands was naturally the first to be 

 studied, but, in 1895, Professor Milne, as one of the secretaries of the 

 Committee, issued a circular calling attention to the desirability of 

 observing waves which have travelled great distances, and some months 

 later. Dr. E. v. Rebeur-Paschwitz, of Strasburg, drew up suggestions 

 for the establishment of an international system of earthquake stations. 

 To this scheme Professor Milne and other members of the British 

 Association Committee gave their approval. The co-operation which 

 thus seemed so happily inaugurated was broken by the unfortunate 

 death of its originator. Circumstances then arose which compelled 

 the British Association Committee to go its own way. Under its 

 direction a system was established which now includes about forty 

 stations distributed all over the world. But the needs of different 

 countries are not, and Avere not meant to be satisfied by this organisa- 

 tion. 



There is always a certain number of earthquakes having purely 

 local importance and requiring discussion from a purely local point of 

 view. For the purpose of such discussion relating to the disturbances 

 which chiefly affect Central Europe, the Union (so-called Kartell) of 

 the Academies of Vienna, Munich, Leipzig, and Gottingen formed 

 a committee and did excellent work. In the meantime Professor 

 Gerland, who had succeeded Dr. Rebeur-Paschwitz, at Strasburg, had 

 personally invited a number of friends interested in the subject to a 

 conference at Strasburg with the object of forming an international 

 association. This was followed in 1903 by a formal conference called 

 by the German Government, at which Great Britain was represented 

 by Sir George Darwin and Professor Milne. This conference drew 

 up a scheme for an international association, and a large number of 

 countries, including Russia and Japan, joined. Strasburg was selected 

 as the seat of the Central Bureau. The matter came up for discussion 

 at the meeting of the International Association of Academies, which 

 was held in London in 190-4, and a committee was appointed for the 

 purpose of suggesting such modifications in the constitution of the 

 seismic organisation as might bring it into harmony with the views of 

 the Associated Academies. This committee, over which I had the 

 honour to preside, met at Frankfort, and recommended a number of 

 important changes w^hich were unanimously accepted by the second 

 seismic conference held last summer in Berlin. In consequence of 

 this acceptance, it appears that Italy and the United States joined the 

 seismic association, while England declared its willingness to join 

 under certain conditions, of which the sinmltaneous adhesion of 

 France was one. The following summary of the States which have 

 joined and their population, is copied from the official report of the 

 last meeting at Berlin : — 



