i65 



NATURE 



{Dec. 26, 1878 



honest emulation. 2. The union affords greater facilities 

 towards publishing transactions and securing the services 

 of eminent lecturers. 3. An annual meeting of the 

 associated societies affords an opportunity for the discus- 

 sion of principles of working and promotes the general 

 life. 4. The annual meeting being held in a fresh town 

 each year helps to keep the country alive to the Associa- 

 tion work, and encourages the formation of new societies. 



The constitution of the Cumberland Association is as 

 follows : — The president to be a man of local note and 

 high culture, and to serve for a period not greater 

 than two years.' The Presidents of individual societies 

 to be vice-presidents of the Association. The council of 

 the Association to consist of two delegates from each 

 society, chosen annually. The treasurer and secretary 

 (honorary) to be one and the same person, and fully 

 acquainted with the county in all its aspects. 



The working of the Association is carried on thus ; The 

 Association secretary keeps a record of all papers and 

 lectures brought before the individual societies. Before 

 the commencement of each winter session he communi- 

 cates with all the local secretaries, and from his know- 

 ledge of available intellectual stores in the county, helps 

 each in the drawing up of the winter programme in what- 

 ever direction help may be specially needed. It is his 

 duty also to help forward the establishment of local 

 classes where such are possible. At a council meeting 

 held in the autumn some public lecturer is decided upon 

 who shall go the round of the associated societies during 

 the winter, and a grant is made towards his expenses from 

 the Association funds (of which more anon), the rest being 

 made up by each society served. 



The annual meeting takes place at Easter or in May, 

 and lasts two or three days. The Association President 

 delivers his annual address, reports from the several 

 societies are read and discussed, original papers are read, 

 lectures given by one or more eminent men, and field 

 excursions made. 



At the close of each winter session the local secretaries 

 send into the Association secretary any papers which have 

 been selected by the local committees as worthy of publi- 

 cation. If the Association council approve these papers 

 they are published in the Transactions at the Association 

 expense. The funds of the Association are gathered 

 thus : Each society pays an annual capitation grant of 

 6d. per head on all its members. There is also a class of 

 Association members, residing at a distance from, and 

 not belonging to, any local society, who pay an annual 

 subscription of $5., and are virtually considered members 

 of all the societies, and have the privileges of such. The 

 Tratisactions are sold to the societies and Association 

 members at the price of is., the public being charged 

 2S. 6d. Some of the societies purchase copies to the full 

 number of their members, and present them, others take 

 only a limited number of copies (determined by the local 

 society committee) and re-sell to those of their members 

 who care to possess them. In this way the greater part 

 of an edition of 800 copies of the Annual Transactions 

 is disposed of. Authors are allowed extra copies of their 

 own papers at a moderate charge, and when all expenses 

 are met, a fair balance is left to carry on to the next year. 



It should be noted that of the eight societies in Cum- 



' ' The Lord Bishop of Carlisle acted as president for two years, and 

 1. Fletcher, M.P., I'.R.S., is now in his second year of pnesidency. 



berland, now associated, the local annual subscriptions of 

 members in each society is generally 5^. ; in one case, 

 however, it is 3^. 6^?'., and in another 2S. 6d, It is a rule 

 of the Association that members going from one society 

 to another to afford help in the carrying out of the 

 various programmes, should have their expenses paid by 

 the society helped. Such is the general constitution and 

 mode of working of the Cumberland Association, which 

 has undoubtedly succeeded in its aim, so far as the 

 keeping up of existing societies and the formation of 

 new ones is concerned. The Annual Tratuactions, too, 

 include many papers of local value, and some of general 

 interest, while among the eminent men who have kindly 

 come forward to [^lend " their services at the Annual 

 Meetings, are the Astronomer-Royal, the Bishop of 

 Carlisle, Prof. Shairp, Prof. Wm. Knight, and I. 

 Fletcher, M.P., F.R.S. At present, however, the 

 Association is but in its infancy, and may be considered 

 more or less of an experiment, yet that some such 

 method of union is desirable amongst loeal societies in 

 the various counties or districts of England few will 

 deny. Time will show how the system may be im- 

 proved and varied to suit special circumstances, but 

 I cannot but think that the plan of association to carry 

 out the larger objects of societies, and the annual 

 meeting of the associated societies in successive towns 

 of a county, must economise labour and promote the 

 healthy culture of the county in which the work is 

 carried on. 



Amongst the difficulties presenting themselves in the 

 early days of the association, the following occurred. 

 For several previous years a Cumberland and West- 

 moreland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society had 

 flourished, and it was feared that the new County Asso- 

 ciation would clash with its existence. The Antiquarians 

 thought it best not to amalgamate with the associated 

 society, its constitution being in many points different 

 from theirs, but it was resolved that whenever papers, 

 bearing on local antiquarian or archaeological subjects 

 were read before any of the associated societies, these 

 papers should be offered by the Association council to the 

 Antiquarian and Archaeological Society for publication in 

 their Transactions if deemed worthy. Moreover, some 

 of the officers of the Association are active members of 

 the Archaeological Society, and so far from their being 

 any antagonism, the two decidedly help one another 

 forward in the general work of gleaning local knowledge 

 and diffusing culture. 



As hon. secretary of the Cumberland Association, I 

 should feel very grateful for any hints or suggestions 

 from the readers of Nature. What is wanted in every 

 county is more culture, and that carried on in a natural 

 way, and with a true love of nature in all her aspects. 



y. Clifton Ward 



NEWCOMB'S LUNAR RESEARCHES 

 Researches on the Motion of the Moon, made at the United 

 States Naval Observatory, Washington. By Simon 

 Newcomb, Professor U.S. Navy. Part I. (Washing- 

 ton, 1878.) 

 THE author prefaces his work with the remark that 

 for several years after the publication of Hansexi's 

 Tables of the Moon, there was a very general belief that 



