464 REPORT — 1856. 



classification of subjects, but must he determined after some progress lias 

 been made in the preliminary work of collecting the titles of the memoirs to 

 be catalogued. The value of this part of the catalogue will materially 

 depend upon the selection of a proper principle of arrangement, and the 

 care and accuracy with which such principle is carried out. The arrange- 

 ment of the memoirs in the ultimate subdivisions should be according to 

 their dates. 



The most convenient method of making the Catalogue would appear to be, 

 that each volume to be indexed should be gone through separately, and a list 

 formed of all the memoirs which come within the plan of the proposed 

 Catalogue. Such list should be in triplicate, one copy for reference, a 

 second copy to be cut up and arranged for the Catalogue according to 

 authors' names, and another copy to be cut up and arranged for the 

 Catalogue according to subjects. 



The Committee have endeavoured to form an estimate of the space whicli 

 the Catalogue would occupy. The number of papers in a volume of trans- 

 actions is in general small, but there are works, such as the ' Coniptes Rend us,' 

 the 'Astronomisciie Nachrichten,' tlie 'Philosophical Magazine,'<!vrc., containing 

 a very great number of papers, the titles of v.hicii would consequently occupy 

 a considerable space in the Catalogue. Upon the whole, the Committee con- 

 sider, that, excluding America, they may estimate the number of papers to be 

 entered at 125,000; or since each paper would be entered twice, the 

 number of entries would be 250,000. The number of entries that could 

 conveniently be brought into a page 4to (double columns), would bi> about 

 30, so that, according to the above estimate, the Catalogue would occupy ten 

 quarto volumes of rather more than 800 pages each. 



It appears to the Committee that there should be paid Editors, who should 

 be familiar with the several great branches respectively of the Sciences to 

 which the Catalogue relates ; but that the general scheme of arrangement and 

 details of the Catalogue should be agreed upon between all the Editors, and 

 that they should be jointly responsible for the execution. It would of course 

 be necessary that the Editors should have the assistance of an adequate staff 

 of clerks. 



The principal scientific transactions and works would be accessible in 

 England at the Library of the British Museum, and the libraries of the 

 Royal Society and other Philosophical Societies. It would be the duty of 

 the Editors to ascertain all the different works which ought to be catalogued, 

 and to procure information as to the contents of such of them as may not 

 happen to be accessible. 



The Catalogue according to authors' names would be the most readily 

 executed, and this catalogue, if it should be found convenient, might be first 

 published. The time of bringing out the two catalogues would of course 

 depend upon the sufficiency of the assistance at the command of the Editors ; 

 but if the Catalogue be undertaken, it is desirable that the arrangement 

 should be such, that the complete work might be brought out within a 

 period not exceeding three years. 



13th June, 185G. A. Cayley. 



R. Grant. 

 G. G. Stokes. 



