510 INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE. 



The secretaries were impressed by the great possibilities of the 

 scheme, and the council took the initiative and approached the acad- 

 emies of Paris and St. Petersburg, which both returned favorable 

 answers. 



In consequence of the correspondence between these learned soci- 

 eties, the Royal Academy of Berlin, in conjunction with the Royal 

 Society of London, issued invitations for a general conference to be 

 held at Wiesbaden on the 9th and 10th of October, in the year 1899. • 



The following Avere represented at this meeting, at which the 

 statutes of the new association were agreed upon : The Royal Prus- 

 sian Academy of Sciences, of Berlin ; the Royal Academy of Sciences, 

 of Gottingen ; the Saxon Academy of Sciences, of Leipzig ; the Royal 

 Society of London; the Royal Bavarian Academy of Science, of 

 Munich; the Academy of Sciences of Paris; the Imperial Academy 

 of Science, of St. Petersburg; the National Academy of Science, of 

 Washington ; the Imperial Academy of Sciences, of Vienna. 



The unanimity of the meeting may be judged from the fact that a 

 working constitution, which subsequent experience proved to be 

 eminently effective, was finally arrived at on the second day. Many 

 distinguished men took part in the discussions; amongst them Prof. 

 Simon Newcomb and the late Professor Virchow may be specially 

 mentioned. 



Although the Berlin Academy had never joined the German kar- 

 tell, the first idea of a wider association seems to be due to a dis- 

 tinguished member of that body, the historian Mommsen, who, 

 though of advanced age, was able to be present at the first regular 

 meeting of the association, which was held at Paris on i^pril 16-20, 

 1901. In addition to the societies which took part in its foundation, 

 the following form part of the association and were represented at 

 Paris: The Royal Academy of Sciences, of Amsterdam; the Royal 

 Belgium Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters; the Plungarian 

 Academy of Sciences; the Academy of Sciences of Christiania; the 

 Academy of Sciences of Copenhagen ; the Academy " des Inscriptions 

 et Belles-Lettres " of the Institut de France ; the Academy of " Sci- 

 ences, morales, et politiques " of the Institut de France ; the Royal 

 Society " dei Lincei," of Rome ; the Royal Swedish Academy of 

 Sciences. 



This meeting is not likely to pass out of the memory of those who 

 took part in it. Its importance was enhanced by the social functions 

 which were held in connection with it, and which included a luncheon 

 given by President Loubet, at the Elysee, a Ijanquet given by the 

 conseil municipal, and a special performance at the Theatre Frangais. 

 The subsequent triennial meeting of the academy, which Avas held in 

 1904, passed off not less brilliantly. The representatives of the 



