474 



NATURE 



[September 15, 1898 



to these a number of well-known British men of science were 

 invited to be present, amongst whom I need only mention the 

 Marquis of Northampton (President of the Royal Society), 

 Sabine, Sir John Herschel, Lloyd, Airy, Brown, afid Sir Jaines 

 Ross, then recently returned from his celebrated expedition 

 to the Antarctic seas. Letters were also received from 

 Wilhelm Weber, Gauss, Loomis, Lamont, Quetelet, Von 

 Humboldt, and others. 



The principal question which this conference had to decide 

 was whether " the combined system of British and foreign co- 

 operation for the investigation of magnetic and meteorological 

 phenomena, which [had then] been five years in progress, must 

 be broken up" {Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1845, P- 69)- I will not 

 trouble you with a recapitulation of the recommendations of 

 the Congress, some of which have been carried out, while 

 others have not yet been realised ; but one resolution will, I 

 am sure, so exactly express your own sentiments that I venture 

 to quote it, viz. : "That the cordial co-operation which has 

 hitherto prevailed between the British and foreign magnetic and 

 meteorological observatories having produced the most im- 

 portant results, and being considered by us as absolutely 

 essential to the success of the great system of combined observ- 

 ation which has been undertaken, it is earnestly recommended 

 that the same spirit of co-operation should continue to prevail." 

 "Whatever changes half a century may have wrought in the 

 problems which press upon magneticians, and in the difficulties 

 which confront them, there can be no doubt that they are still 

 of the same spirit as that in which this resolution was framed. 



It is true that we sometimes meet with the objection that 

 international conferences of all kinds are now too numerous, 

 and that their decisions from their very number and complexity 

 cease to attract attention or to command respect. Admitting that 

 this objection is not without weight, it may be answered by 

 two remarks. The closer union between scientific workers in 

 different countries which these meetings encourage, the 

 strengthening of the ties of intellectual sympathy by those of 

 personal friendship are in themselves good. It is surely a 

 hopeful omen that science, as she reaches her maturity, forgets 

 or ignores the political and geographical boundaries which 

 sometimes seemed so important in her youth, and that workers 

 for the common good are more and more learning that it is good 

 to work in common. 



But there are special and cogent reasons why the science of 

 Terrestrial Magnetism should be cosmopolitan. The advance 

 of some sciences is most easily achieved by the methods of 

 guerilla warfare. In a hundred different laboratories widely 

 separated workers plan independent attacks on nature. In 

 different universities and colleges little groups are devising 

 stratagems and arranging ambuscades in the hope of wresting 

 from our great opponent some of the treasures which she yields 

 only to the violent who take them by force. But for those who 

 would unravel the causes of the mysterious movements of the 

 compass needle concerted action is essential. They cannot, 

 indeed, dispense with individual initiative, or with the leadership 

 of genius, but I think that all would agree that there is urgent 

 need for more perfect organisation, for an authority which can 

 decide not only what to do, but what to leave undone. 



The advance of the science of Terrestrial Magnetism must 

 depend upon the establishment, the maintenance, and the 

 utilisation of the records of observatories. The bulk of the 

 material to be dealt with must in any case be vast, and every 

 needless addition to it, every obstacle in the way of its being 

 readily comprehended and easily used, is a drawback which 

 proper organisation should prevent. 



Thus it is wasteful to devote to the multiplication of observ- 

 atories, in regions of which we know much, energy and 

 funds which would be invaluable if applied to districts of which 

 we know little or nothing. I take some credit to myself in that 

 within the last few months I have assisted in checking well- 

 intended but mistaken proposals to add to the number of the 

 magnetic observatories which we already possess in this country. 



Again, it is desirable that the records of the observations 

 should be so published as to be ready for application to the 

 problems the solution of which they are intended to subserve, 

 and that the individual worker should not be harassed by petty 

 differences in the methods of presentment, which often entail 

 on him labour too enormous to be faced. On this point some- 

 thing has already been done by international co-operation, and 

 we may hope that this meeting will do much to complete 

 the task. 



NO. 1507, VOL. 58] 



Lastly, there are many investigations which are now under- 

 taken independently at irregular intervals which would be far 

 more useful if planned in common. Thus there has of late been 

 a great outburst of energy in Europe devoted to magnetic sur- 

 veys more detailed than have ever before been accomplished. 

 Is it too much to hope that when the time comes for these to be 

 repeated they may be carried out simultaneously, and reduced 

 by the same methods, so that we may have a magnetic map of 

 Europe in which no uncertainty as to the accuracy of details is 

 introduced by the necessity for correcting for the secular change 

 over long intervals of time ? 



Taking it, then, for granted that international co-operation 

 is desirable for purposes such as these, I come next to the ques- 

 tion of the nature of the machinery by which it shall be secured. 

 And here I may at once state that the arrangements under 

 which we are meeting to-day are in some respects abnormal, and 

 that plans for the future will have to be formally or informally 

 considered before we part. Meanwhile, it is desirable that I 

 should state precisely the circumstances which have brought us 

 together. 



The last meeting of the International Meteorological Con- 

 ference was held in Paris in September 1896. It was attended 

 by several men of science specially interested in Terrestrial 

 Magnetism, and, perhaps on this account, a new departure was 

 taken by the International Committee, in the appointment of a 

 " Permanent Committee for Magnetism and Atmospheric 

 Electricity," to which certain specific questions were referred. 

 Eight gentlemen were nominated as members of this Committee, 

 with power to add to their number. We in turn co-opted eight 

 other magneticians, taking care that as far as possible all countries 

 in which Terrestrial Magnetism is specially studied should be 

 represented. About the same time, and, as I believe, in ignor- 

 ance of the establishment of this Committee, a suggestion for 

 the assembling of an International Conference on Terrestrial 

 Magnetism was made in the journal of that name by Prof. 

 Arthur Schuster. It appeared to me and to Prof. Schuster 

 himself that it would be a great pity if this suggestion resulted 

 in the establishment of a rival organisation, and I at once sub- 

 mitted to the Committee the question whether, in their opinion, 

 it was desirable that we ourselves should take the responsibility of 

 summoning an international meeting, with the view of obtaining 

 a wide discussion of the points submitted to us by the Meteoro- 

 logical Conference. This suggestion was approved, and as the 

 British Association was willing to allow us to organise the Con- 

 ference as a branch of Section A (Mathematics and Physics), to 

 undertake the expense of sending out the necessary notices, to 

 print our papers in its Report, and to extend to foreign members 

 of the Conference all the privileges of foreign members of 

 the Association, it was also determined that so hospitable an 

 invitation should be accepted with the gratitude it deserved. 

 But although the main result has been achieved, and a repre- 

 sentative gathering of magneticians has assembled in Bristol, it 

 cannot be denied that our relations to the various bodies with 

 which we are connected are somewhat complicated, and that our 

 constitution is devoid both of simplicity and symmetry. I take 

 it that these facts are signs of health and vigour rather than 

 symptoms of decay. Terrestrial Magnetism has been attracting 

 far more attention of late years than in the not very distant past. 

 The necessity for meeting, for common action, for common pub- 

 lication has been forced upon us. We have cared more for 

 meeting than for the terms on which we were to meet, more for 

 acting together than for drawing up an elaborate deed of part- 

 nership, more for the promotion of science than for a flawless 

 paper constitution. Thus, and in my opinion most wisely, we 

 have sought to attain our ends, not by starting a brand new 

 International Association, but by making use of machinery 

 which is already in existence, which has stood the test of time, 

 and is, as I believe, capable of being put to new uses in meeting 

 our wants and supplying our deficiencies. 



I confess, however, that in this arrangement we have been 

 compelled to pay scant attention to the simplicity and even to 

 the logical consistency of our schemes. We are an International 

 Conference on special subjects — Terrestrial Magnetism and 

 Atmospheric Electricity— summoned by a Committee owing 

 its authority and bound to report to another International Con- 

 ference of wider scope, which regards our sciences as branches 

 of Meteorology. 



On the other hand, this Committee is for the moment a part 

 of the Committee of the Section of Mathematics and Physics of 

 the British Association, though it retains its right of separate 



