26 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1021. 



the Smithsonian Institution, and by a representative from the 

 Rockefeller Foundation, who had just returned from the Continent, 

 where he had been making an investigation of the Concilium Biblio- 

 graphicum of Zurich. 



The consensus of opinion resulting from this meeting appeared to 

 be that it was essential for all organizations, such as the International 

 Catalogue and existing and proposed abstract journals, whose com- 

 mon aim is to supply information required by scientific workers and 

 libraries, to cooperate for their mutual benefit, and that when some 

 definite plan of consolidation was agreed on financial aid would be 

 forthcoming. Plans looking to this most desirable condition are now 

 under way, but it appears that for the present, at least, the necessary 

 funds will have to be supplied from the United States, for although 

 we have felt the burden of war expenses in this country our finances 

 are not in the deplorable condition now common to all of the Euro- 

 pean countries, which, in addition to the havoc caused by the war, 

 are at a very great additional disadvantage owing to the unprece- 

 dented condition of monetary exchange. There is no question as to 

 the need of abstract journals for the immediate use of scientific work- 

 ers and also of a catalogue and index as a permanent record of scien- 

 tific literature for the use of libraries, as well as for scientific work- 

 ers, and as the present organization of the International Catalogue 

 has still the official support of all of the principal countries of the 

 world, and as this organization was founded after years of endeavor 

 by representatives of practically all of the scientific societies of the 

 world, it would now be a calamity to allow it to lapse merely on ac- 

 count of temporary financial difficulties. I can not therefore too 

 strongty urge that this assistance be furnished by some of the several 

 wealthy organizations in this country whose aims are to further the 

 interests of science. A more detailed account of the findings of the 

 conference and of the present condition of the catalogue will be 

 found in the regular annual report of the United States Regional 

 Bureau of the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature, ap- 

 pended hereto. 



NECROLOGY. 



EDWARD DOUGLASS WHITE. 



Edward Douglass White, Chief Justice of the United States and 

 chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution, died May 19, 1921. It is 

 not necessary to here review the life of this distinguished American 

 whose name has been for so many years before the public. At a spe- 

 cial meeting of the Board of Regents held May 27, 1921, the follow- 

 ing resolutions in memory of Chancellor White were adopted : 



Whereas the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution having re- 

 ceived the announcement of the death on Slny 19, 1921, of the Hon. Ed- 



