146 



ANNUAL MEETINGS 



gratitude to the Commonwealth by the subscription 

 of over 600 to the patriotic funds which were then 

 being raised in consequence of the outbreak of war. 



One reason for dealing with this more amply than 

 other overseas meetings has been indicated above ; 

 another is that the preoccupations of the war deferred 

 the full realisation of the after-effects of this par- 

 ticular meeting in the direction of research recom- 

 mendations to Governments, and the like. Judged 

 merely by the very large number of members who 

 took part in it (see p. 117), joining in the various 

 centres in Australia, the Australian meeting was 

 by far the most successful the Association has ever 

 held. But that is not the sole test, and there is no 

 ground for asserting that any one overseas meeting 

 has been more successful than the rest. They have 

 all justified the action of those who, in 1881 and 

 after, promoted the first of them, even though the 

 breaks of continuity which are caused in the meetings 

 at home be still regretted, and may yet seek for 

 remedy in future. 



A party of members unable to make the voyage 

 to Australia in 1914 attended by invitation the meet- 

 ing of I/ Association Fra^aise pour PAvancement 

 des Sciences at Havre. The Conference of Delegates 

 of Corresponding Societies also met there, and were 

 enabled to participate in a discussion on the organisa- 

 tion of local scientific societies in France. Sir 

 William Kamsay led the members' party. He gave 

 an address in French which dealt, among other 

 matters, with international amity. Within a week 

 Europe was at war. The meeting had to be curtailed, 

 and Ramsay and others were reluctantly obliged to 

 leave France with such haste as was possible. 



