Dec. 20, I 



NA TURE 



187 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AND LOCAL 

 SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 

 'T'HE fourth Annual Conference of Delegates of Corresponding 

 ■*■ Societies was held during the Bath meeting of the Asso- 

 ciation, thirty-eight local Societies having nominated repre 

 sentatives. The following is an abstract of the Report which 

 lias recently been issued by the Corresponding Societies. 

 Committee : — 



At the first meeting the chair was taken by Dr. John Evans, 

 Treasurer R.S., the Corresponding Societies Committee being 

 represented by General Pitt-Rivers, Sir Douglas Gallon, Prof. 

 Boyd Dawkins, Prof T. G. Bonney, Mr. W. Whitaker, Mr. G. 

 I. Symons, Mr. W. Topley, Dr. Garson, Mr. J. Hopkinson, 

 "Mr. W. White, and Prof. R. Meldola, Secretary, 



The delegates were invited to make any statements respecting 

 he work done by the Committees appointed la^t year, or in 

 Dnnection with other subjects referred to in the Report which 

 had been presented to the General Committee. 



A discussion took place with reference to the working of the 

 Ancient Monuments Act, in which the Deemster Gill, Prof. 

 Bjyd Dawkins, Dr. Evans, General Pitt- Rivers, Sir John Lub- 

 1 lock, and many of the delegates took part. The issue of greatest 

 importance, so far as concerns the local Societies, is that these 

 bodies should take upon themselves the responsibility of pro- 

 tecting, as far as possible, the ancient remains in their own 

 districts. 



Earlh Tremors Committee. — Prof. Lebour reported that the 

 Committee was about to apply for reappointment, with the 

 object of, in the first place, prosecuting inquiries as to the best 

 form of instruments, and the best conditions with respect to 

 locality, foundation, &c., for fixing up such instrucrents. Several 

 Societies and individuals had expressed their willingness to co- 

 operate as soon as these conditions had been determined, and 

 the Birmingham Philosophical Society had made a grant towards 

 the expenses of these preliminary trials. 



Prof. Lebour stated also that the North of England Institute 

 of Mining and Mechanical Engineers had recently appointed a 

 Committee, armed with a substantial grant, to make a series of 

 experiments on so-called " flameless explosives." This Com- 

 mittee was now at work, and would gladly receive assistance in 

 any way from kindred Societies. The same Institute had joined 

 with the Mining Institutes of South Wales and Scotland in 

 forming another Committee to conduct a series of experiments 

 on fan- ventilation. He thought that these were examples of 

 the kind of co-operation which the Conference of Delegates of 

 Corresponding Societies was likely to bring about. 



At the second meeting of the Conference, the chair was fir- 1 

 taken by the Secretary, Prof. R. Meldola, and afterwards by the 

 Vice-Chairman, Mr. W. Whitaker, the Committee being fuither 

 rejiresented by Mr. J. Hopkinson and Mr. W. White, and 

 towards the close of the meeting by Dr. Evans, who had been 

 detained at the Committee of Recommendations. 



The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said that it would 

 be best to adopt their usual plan, and consider the suggestions 

 and recommendations from the different Sections in their proper 

 cquence. 



Section A. 



Temperature Variation in Lakes, Rivers, and Esltiariis. — 

 Dr. Mill said that he wished to point out some of the results 

 that had been obtained by the Committee appointed to make 

 the investigations in conjunction with the local Societies repre- 

 sented in the Association. He had a diagram which showed 

 the work done more precisely than he could explain in a short 

 time. The Committee had twenty observers working at various 

 rivers ; most of these rivers were in Scotland, only one or two 

 1 cing in England, while no observations had been started in 

 Ireland. Their investigations showed that while in some rivers, 

 particularly the Aray, the temperature was increased by rainfall, 

 in others this condition was reversed, the temperature being 

 found to suddenly fall during rain. He wished to impress upon 

 the delegates the advisability of extending their observations 

 throughout Scotland and England, and also of extending them 

 to Ireland. Prof. Fitzgerald, the President of Section A, who 

 was a membf r of the Committee, took a great interest in the 

 subject, and had expressed an opinion that Mr. Symons's rain- 

 gauge observers might make personal observations. Dr. Mill 

 advised all observers to use the thermometer which he exhibited, 

 and which he said was durable and cheap. He trusted that 



delegates on returning home would lay the subject before theii 

 Societies, give them some idea of the work of the Committee, 

 and induce them to c-;-operate and make observations in their 

 respective localities. Circidars, he added, would be sent to the 

 Societies and to Mr. Symons's rain-gauge observers, and it was 

 hoped that this would bring the question well before them. It 

 would give local Societies an opportunity of doing what they 

 professed to do, and he was perfectly certain they were anxious 

 to promote real scientific work. The observations could be 

 made with very little training, and the investigations of con- 

 scientious observers would lead to interesting results, as they 

 would be considered by the Committee in connection with the 

 temperature and rainfall of the districts in which they were 

 made. 



In reply to questions by Mr. Gushing and the Rev. E. P. 

 Knubley, Dr. Mill said that the thermometer readings were 

 taken at a depth of 6 inches below the surface of the water, and 

 that the fullest particulars would be supplied by the Committee 

 to any Society wishing to take part in the observations. 



Section C. 



Prof. Lebour, who had been nominated as the representative 

 of the Committee of this Section, said that the Committees on 

 (i) Sea-coast Erosion, (2) Underground Waters, (3) Erratic 

 Blocks, and (4) Earth Tremors, the working of which had been 

 explained to the delegates on former occasions, had been 

 recommended for reappointment. 



Geological Photography. — Prof Lebour further informed the 

 delegates that, in consequence of a paper read before Section C 

 by Mr. O. W. Jeffs on local geological photographs, it was 

 proposed by the Committee of the Section that a Committee 

 should be appointed to collect and register such photographs. 

 The proposal at present was so indefinite that there was no 

 chance of the Committee of Recommendations dealing with it 

 this year, but they gave the suggestion their cordial sympathy, 

 and it was formally passed on to the meeting of delegates. It was 

 hoped that delegates of Corresponding Societies, by discussing 

 the matter among themselves, would have it so organized and 

 ready to place before the Committee of the Section next year, 

 and ultimately before the Committee of Recommendations, in 

 such a form that a Committee of the Association might be ap- 

 pointed, with a small grant, to work the scheme satisfactorily. 

 It was thought by the Committee of the Section that too many 

 restrictions as to the uniformity of the photographs should not 

 be enforced in the early stages of the scheme. The simple 

 collection and registration of photographs was all that was at 

 present aimed at. 



The following suggestions with reference to this subject were 

 forwarded by the Committee of the Section to the Secretary of 

 the Conference : — 



" (i) That a Committee be formed, having representatives 

 for each county, charged with the arrangement of a local 

 photographic survey for geological purposes in each district. 



" (2) The Committee will gather together — 



"(a) Names of Societies and individuals who have already 

 assisted in this oi<ject, or who are willing to do so ; 



" {h) Copies of geological photographs already taken ; 



"(c) List of localities, sections of rocks, boulders, and other 

 features desirable to be photographed ; 



and will arrange with local Societies for the work to be done as 

 may be convenient or possible. 



" (3) Each photograph to be accompanied by the following 

 particulars : — 



"(rt) Name and position of locality or section ; ^ 



^ {b) Details of features shown (with illustrative diagram or 

 sketch whenever necessary for such explanation) ; 



"(t) Scale of height and length, or figure introduced to 

 indicate size in Nature ; 



" (rt') Name of photographer and Society under whose 

 direction the view is taken ; 



"(^) Date when photographed. 



"(4) Size of photograph recommerded : 12 x 10 inches 

 (whole plate), but this is not compulsory. 



" (5) Original negative to be the property of the Society or 

 individual under whose direction it is taken, and who ohall also 

 fix a price at which copies may be sold. 



" (6) Or.e copy of each photograph to be the property of the 

 British Association, and one other copy to be given to the 

 Geological Society of London. 



' Including Compass Direction. — Sec. Corr. Soc. Comiii. 



