466 



NATURE 



[August 14, 19 19 



old association had ceased to exist. The proposal 

 was made at Paris that a section of the union 

 should deal with meteorology, and this has now 

 been confirmed, Sir Napier Shaw being nominated 

 president, and Dr. Marvin, of the U.S. Weather 

 Bureau, secretary. There has been for many 

 years an International Committee of Directors of 

 Meteorological Services, by whom administrative 

 and technical questions relating to their work 

 were discussed and international co-operation in 

 that work was arranged. There is, however, 

 ample scope for an organisation to co-ordinate 

 work in meteorology, and to direct international 

 work in the subject which does not fall within 

 the administrative requirements of the meteoro- 

 logical services. 



International work in terrestrial magnetism has 

 hitherto been looked after by a sub-committee 

 appointed by the International Meteorological 

 Committee, but there was a general agreement 

 that this subject and the electrical phenomena of 

 the atmosphere should be dealt with by a special 

 section which would co-operate with that dealing 

 with meteorology and with the Physical Union in 

 its work. Of this new section Prof. A. Tana- 

 kadate and Dr. Bauer, of the Carnegie Institu- 

 tion of Washington, were appointed respectively 

 president and secretary. 



To these sections were added two new 

 ones — that of physical oceanography, to deal 

 with tides, currents, temperature, density, 

 salinity, and other physical phenomena of 

 the -oceans ; and that of vulcanology for the 

 study of the chemical and physical phenomena of 

 volcanoes. In oceanography no president was 

 nominated, but Prof. H. Lamb was elected vice- 

 president, and Dr. Magrini, of the Hydrographic 

 Service of Venice, secretary. In vulcanology 

 the president is Prof. A. Ricc6, of the Etna 

 Observatory, and Dr. Maladra is secretary. 



The executive committee of each union con- 

 sists of a president, the presidents of its sections 

 as vice-presidents, and a general secretary. In 

 the Geodetic and Geophysical Union M. C. Lalle- 

 mand, director of the Service de Nivellement de 

 France, was elected president, and Col. H. G. 

 Lyons general secretary. 



The Mathematical Union was formed with 

 Prof. Ch. de la Vall6e-Poussin, of Louvain Uni- 

 versity, as president. In this union no sections 

 have been formed, but it was agreed that the 

 union should meet in Strasburg next year, when 

 the further organisation of the union might be 

 considered. 



A Chemical Union was also formed, but the 

 representation of this subject at Brussels was not 

 sufficient to proceed further with its organisation 

 there. The delegates representing physical 

 science decided to form the Physical Union, 

 leavmg its complete organisation to a later 

 occasion. An organising committee was 

 nominated and charged with making arrange- 

 ments for the next meeting as well as for forward- 

 mg various projects of importance for the pro- 

 gress of physical science. 



NO. 2598, VOL. 103] 



In biology Prof. Yves Delage was elected 

 president, and M. C. Flahault secretary. Sections, 

 were established for general biology, physiology,, 

 zoology, botany, applied biology, and medical 

 science, but here, too, it was recognised that the 

 arrangements made could only be provisional. 



Though the practical success of the Inter- 

 national Research Council and the unions asso- 

 ciated with it cannot be fully demonstrated until 

 the next meeting, when three years' work will 

 be available for report, and there will have been 

 time to prepare projects for international work- 

 ing in each group, the organisation is now estab- 

 lished on a working basis, and the meeting at 

 Brussels showed that there was a large amount 

 of work to be taken up, for the organisation 

 of which the executive committees of the unions 

 and sections now exist. The meetings in London, 

 Paris, and Brussels form successive stages in this- 

 important achievement, and the members of the 

 executive committee who have guided the Re- 

 search Council through the first stages of its 

 existence may well be satisfied with the result. 



The legal domicile of the International Research 

 Council will be at Brussels, and the periodical 

 meetings of the General Assembly will take place 

 there. The secretariat will continue to be in 

 London, where the Royal Society has placed a 

 room at its disposal. Unions snd sections will 

 meet at such times and places as their general 

 assemblies or executive committees may decide. 



On the .day of their arrival the delegates were 

 received at the Hotel de Ville by M. Adolf Max, 

 and receptions were given by the Minister of 

 Science and Arts on July 26, and by the Minister 

 of Foreign Affairs on July 28, at their official 

 residences. On July 26 M. G. Lecointe, director 

 of the Royal Observatory, invited the delegates 

 to visit the observatory at Uccle, where they were 

 shown over the buildings and its ample instru- 

 mental equipment. H. G, L. 



THE BOURNEMOUTH MEETING OF THE 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 

 T T is now possible to give further details of the 

 •»- meeting of the British Association to be 

 held at Bournemouth on September 9-13. As 

 already stated, practically all the meetings and 

 discussions will be held in the Municipal College. 

 This building, it is anticipated, will provide ample 

 accommodation for all the activities of the asso- 

 ciation, with the exception of the very large 

 assemblies — the inaugural general meeting, the dis- 

 courses, and the conversazione (or, as it is now 

 termed, the civic reception). It will readily be 

 seen that in this respect members will find the 

 arrangements far more convenient than at many 

 previous meetings, when various buildings scat- 

 tered over the town have had to be utilised. 



The large hall of the college will be fitted up 

 as the reception room. Other parts of the build- 

 ing will be converted into section rooms, staff 

 rooms, luncheon and tea rooms, writing and 

 smoking roomSj telephone room, etc. Members 



