October 29, 1914] 



NATURE 



233 



ship, the Maloja, which is due about October 30, 

 should bring- a party. 



In justice to the Australian Commonwealth and 

 States and the official and unofficial hosts in 

 Australia, to whom the visiting members of the 

 British Association are so deeply indebted, it 

 cannot be stated too clearly that the European 

 crisis was allowed in no way to diminish, if it 

 did not actually increase, the warmth of the recep- 

 tion accorded to the party, and that it did not 

 affect the scientific work of the meeting adversely ; 

 in fact, its direct effects were scarcely perceptible 

 in any centre. Immediately on landing- at 

 Adelaide, at the beginning of the meeting, a 

 number of members of the Council met the prin- 

 cipal representatives of the local organisation in 

 order to assure them that the party would readily 

 fall in with any modification of the programme 

 which might be found necessary, but the question 

 had already been carefully considered, and the 

 answer was at once returned that local opinion 

 was unanimous that the scientific work of the 

 meeting should proceed, even though some slight 

 changes might be found desirable in respect of 

 excursions and social functions. Any such 

 changes proved, in the event, to be negligible. 

 A practical demonstration, however, of the visit- 

 ing members' profound sense of gratitude to 

 Australia was given when the party subscribed 

 the sum of 6ii/. 65. to the patriotic funds being 

 raised there ; this subscription was transmitted at 

 the close of the meeting to the Governor-General, 

 and by him divided equally between- the funds in 

 the various States. 



If the immediate scientific importance of the 

 meeting has been in some measure obscured, it 

 is confidently felt by all concerned that its good 

 effects will be great and lasting, and that they 

 will become apparent in many directions. While 

 it was inevitable that far less news of the meeting 

 than usual should appear in the daih- Press at 

 home, the Australian newspapers reported the 

 meetings more fully than could have been ex- 

 pected in the circumstances. Public interest was 

 maintained to the end ; sufficient evidence of that 

 is found in the very large number of local mem- 

 bers, and it was interesting to observe how, after 

 the daily enrolment of these members had fallen 

 off abruptly on the declaration of war, it recovered 

 and proceeded briskly, after a few days, up to 

 the beginning of the meetings at Melbourne and 

 Sydney. 



The organisation of the meeting could scarce!}' 

 fail to be of profound interest to those who shared 

 in it. Its ramifications were very wide ; it involved, 

 for example, negotiations more or less detailed 

 with various departments of seven Governments 

 (those of the Commonwealth and the States), with 

 a dozen transport companies, and with many other 

 public bodies. The work extended over four years, 

 and was continuous both at home and in Australia 

 for a full year before the meeting began. Up- 

 wards of a hundred persons were concerned more 

 or less actively in responsible departments of the 

 organisation ; the majority of them were, of 



NO. 2348, VOL. 94] 



course, in Australia, and the officers of the Asso- 

 ciation at home met with nothing but goodwill 

 at the hands of all these willing collaborators, 

 who have the satisfaction of knowing that the 

 mechanism which they called into being worked 

 [ splendidly, and possessed driving power sufficient 

 to overcome the resistance set up by the unex- 

 pected circumstances in which the meeting took 

 place. 



Subjoined is a list of the Research Committees, 

 etc., receiving grants of money, and the name of 

 the chairman of each, appointed on behalf of the 

 General Committee at the Australian meeting : — 



Section A — Mathematics and Phystcs. 

 Seismological observations — 



Prof. H. H. Turner ...;^6o o o 

 For printing in connection 



with above ... ... ... 70 o o 



Investigation of the upper 



atmosphere — Dr. W. N. 



Shaw ... ... ... ... 25 o o 



.\nnual tables of constants and 



numerical data, chemical, 



physical, and technological 



— Sir W. Ramsay ... ... 40 o o 



Calculation of mathematical 



tables— Prof. M. J. M. Hill 30 o o 



ij225 o o 



Section B — Chemistry. 



The study of hydro-aromatic 

 substances — Prof. W. H . 

 Perkin ... ... ... 15 o o 



Dynamic isomerism — Prof. 



H. E. .\rmstrong ... ... 40 o o 



The transformation of aro- 

 matic nitroamines and 

 allied substances, and its 

 relation to substitution in 

 benzene derivatives — Prof. 

 F. S. Kipping ... ... 20 o o 



The study of plant enzjmes, 

 particularly with relation to 

 oxidation — Mr. A. D. Hall 30 o o 



Correlation of cr\-stalline form 

 with molecular structure- 

 Prof. W. J. Pope 25 o o 



Study of solubility phenomena 

 — Prof. H. E. Armstrong... 10 o o 



Chemical investigation of 

 natural plant products of 

 Victoria — Prof. Orme Mas- 

 son ... ... ... ... 50 o o 



The influence of weather con- 

 ditions upon the amounts of 

 nitrogen acids in the rain- 

 fall and the atmosphere — 

 Prof. Orme Masson ... 40 o o 



Research on non-aromatic 

 diazonium salts — Dr. F. D. 

 Chattaway ... ... ... 10 o o 



Section C — Geology. 



To investigate the erratic 

 blocks of the British Isles, 

 and to take measures for 

 their preservation — Mr. 

 R. H. Tiddeman 5 c 



To consider the preparation 

 of a list of characteristic 

 fossils — Prof. P. F. Ken- 

 dall 10 c 



;^240 o 



