INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE. 509 



of solar phenomena. Called into being chiefly by the energy of Pro- 

 fessor Hale, this association is perhaps unique in two respects. It 

 aims more directly at conducting research Avork than is the case with 

 other unions, and in so far may run the clanger of hampering private 

 efforts. This danger has, I believe, been well guarded against by the 

 constitution adopted at the first meeting of the conference, held last 

 September at Oxford. The second peculiarity referred to is that it 

 Avorks a central bureau, a computing bureau (under the direction of 

 Professor Turner), and is going to publish transactions without any 

 funds beyond those doled out to it by charity. Its vitality will, I 

 hope, help it to overcome its initial troubles. Its ambitious pro- 

 gramme includes a definite agreement on the standard of wave lengtli 

 {'.nd investigations on the permanence or variability of solar radiation. 



This latter question is of considerable interest to meteorologists, 

 and comes, therefore, within the purview of the directors of meteoro- 

 logical observatories, who have also, under the presidenc}^ of Sir 

 Norman Lockyer, established a commission charged with its discus- 

 sion. An arrangement has been made securing cooperation between 

 the two bodies, the Solar Union leaving out of its programme the 

 difficult question of the relationship between sun-spot variability and 

 meteorological phenomena. 



Although an unnecessary overlapping of two separate enterprises 

 has in this instance been avoided, such overlapping constitutes a 

 certain danger for the future, as the problems of geo-physics — for the 

 investigation of which international associations are specially marked 

 out — arc so intimately connected with each other that a homogeneous 

 treatment Avould seem to require a central body supervising to some 

 extent the separate associations. Such a central body may be found 

 in the International Association of Academies, Avhich promises to 

 play so important a part in scientific history that a short account of 

 its early history may be of interest. The kartell of some of the Ger- 

 man academies and that of Vienna has already been referred to. In 

 discussing the utility of its deliberations Prof. Felix Klein, of 

 Gottingen, first mentioned to me the idea that an association of a 

 similar nature would be likely to j^i'ove of still greater value if 

 formed between the scientific and literary academies all over the 

 world. In consequence of this conversation I tried to interest the 

 Royal Society in the subject, and in order to obtain further informa- 

 tion Professor Armstrong and myself attended privately, though 

 with the knowledge and consent of the council of the Royal Society, 

 the meetring of the kartell which w^as held at Leipzig in the year 1897. 

 In the following year the two secretaries of the Royal Society, Sir 

 Michael Foster and Sir Arthur Riicker, together with Professor Arm- 

 strong and myself, attended the kartell Avhich then met at Gottingen. 



