REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. XXL 
Committee to ascertain (should the Council adopt this view) the most fitting 
mode of procedure for resigning it into the hands of Government, who have 
so liberally allowed the Association its temporary occupation. 
; . 
Signed on the part of the Committee, 
J. F. W. Herscuer. 
Reasons for thinking that the Annual Meetings of the British Association 
ought not to be restricted to places which present formal invitations and 
guarantees of expenses. 
1. “ By the rules of the Association, the General Committee has the duty 
of appointing the place, time and officers of the annual Meetings. 
2. * By custom, this power has been limited to places which present invita- 
tions, to times suitable for those places, and to officers more or less indicated 
by local circumstances. 
3. * The practice of obeying local invitations has been productive of good 
_ and evil: good by the spontaneous awakening of many important places to 
scientific activity; evil by the introduction of elements of display, temporary 
expedients, and unnecessary expense. These have somewhat impaired the 
efficiency of the Meetings, by withdrawing attention and consuming time 
which could ill be spared from the essential business of one scientific week. 
4, “It is the opinion of the writer, that the balance of good and evil in 
this practice will become less and less favourable to the Association as time 
goes on; that by its operation the Meetings of the Association are likely to 
be made more dependent on commercial and other extrinsic considerations 
than on advantages of locality ; that places in the highest degree desirable 
_- to be visited may not present invitations and guarantees; that invitations 
which it may be difficult to refuse may be pressed from places quite unsuit- 
able for the Meeting; and that, finally, the Association may be reduced, 
not seldom, to the necessity of suspending its Meetings, or of seeing them 
poorly attended by unwilling members, unfruitful of knowledge and unpro- 
ductive of money. 
5. ‘He thinks the proper way to prevent these misfortunes is to declare 
that in making arrangements for the future Meetings, the General Com- 
mittee will be guided by general considerations, and will regard as only one 
of the elements for its decision, the circumstance of special invitations from 
particular localities, . 
6. ‘“ And he thinks that this declaration should not be delayed beyond the 
Swansea Meeting, where we may speak from the vantage-ground of a very 
unanimous invitation from a place of singular attractions. 
“‘ He farther remarks that this plan will throw no discredit on invitations, 
which, as part of the elements for fixing on the places of Meeting, will still be 
acceptable and influential. Places presenting them, will still have the ad- 
vantage, and often the preference, which such proof of scientific activity may 
deserve. The invitations will perhaps be as numerous after, as they have 
been before the change. 
“There is no change necessary in respect of the previous arrangements, 
which must still include inspection of the localities, consultation with resi- 
dents, &c. before the General Committee can be called on to decide. 
** He will now say a few words on the financial part of this question. 
** The system upon which the Association has been worked of late years, 
produces an expenditure of nearly £750 for the local expenses of rooms, 
printing, clerks and messengers, &c. at each Meeting. Of this £500 has 
been raised by local contributions, and the remainder paid by the British 
