542 



NA TURE 



[September 29, 1904 



Burnham, in the parish of Thornton Curtis, in north 

 Lincolnshire, four miles from the Humber, where entrench- 

 ments have been found, as the site of the battle of Brunan- 

 burh, when, under Athelstane, the south of England 

 obtained the dominance over the north. 



Dr. Mill exhibited and described a map showing the 

 names of the physical features of England and Wales to 

 which the Royal Geographical -Society's council had given 

 its imprimatur. Mr. Whitaker protested against the use 

 made of the term weald, the new name given to Ashdown 

 Forest, and other points. It is to be hoped that after a 

 thorough discussion by all interested a general agreement 

 will be come to as to the use of topograj)hical terms. The 

 majority of those on the map will be accepted by all. 



Three papers dealt with map-making. The Rev. H. S. 

 Cronin described what he believed to be the way in which 

 Ptolemy constructed his map of Asia Minor, and pointed out 

 how wrong conclusions were certain to arise from treating 

 it as if it were a modern map, or his geography as modern 

 geography. Mr. C. R. Beazley contributed an account of 

 the Portolani of the early fourteenth century, the first true 

 maps of the Mediterranean. Major C. F. Close discussed 

 the methods of topographical surveying suitable for different 

 countries, choosing the United Kingdom, India, the Gold 



Y\r.. I.- A Roll Wave leaping the Outfall of the (Iriinnbach Condi 



Coast, vi-here " long traverses " are necessary owing to the 

 dense forest making the cost of triangulation prohibitive, 

 South Africa, already triangulated and ready for plane 

 tabling, which can be carried out in the open country under 

 very favourable conditions, and Canada, for which a scheme 

 has recently been drawn up by Major Hills. In Canada, 

 in very special circumstances, photographic surveying 

 has been carried out, but Major Close considered that 

 ordinary methods under ordinary conditions were better as 

 regards accuracy, rapidity, and cost. This was queried in 

 the subsequent discussion. Sir David Gill dealt with the 

 condition of the South African survey, which owes so much 

 to him. 



The report by Dr. Cornish of the committee on terrestrial 

 surface waves and wave-like surfaces was read. It con- 

 tained a description of roll waves, a term used to describe 

 waves resembling a bore travelling down stream more 

 rapidly than the current in such open paved conduits as the 

 lower courses of the Guntenbach and GriJnnbach, which flow 

 into the Lake of Thun (see Fig. i). The phenomenon has 

 been noticed on the Tees. The committee was re-appointed. 



The geographical section combined with the zoological 

 one to recommend the appointment of a committee to carry 

 on physical and biological investigations in the western 



NO. 1822, VOL. 70] 



Indian Ocean under the leadership of Mr. .Stanley Gardiner. 

 This was duly appointed, and a grant of 150/. assigned to it. 

 Another important committee was nominated on the joint 

 recommendation of geologists and geographers to collect 

 information and report on the meaning and distribution of 

 local terms given to topographical and geological features. 



CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES OF LOCAL 

 SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 

 T^WEXTY years have passed since the local scientific 

 societies of this country first had the opportunity of 

 coming into official relation with the British Association. 

 Although it is believed that this relationship has been, in 

 various ways, of mueh benefit to many of the societies, it 

 must De admitted that the results, viewed as a whole, have 

 hardly equalled the expectations which were originally 

 entertained when the scheme of affiliation was projected. 

 This view was prominently brought forward at the con- 

 ference of delegates from the corresponding societies 

 recently held at Cambridge. 



The chairman of the conference, Principal E. H. Griffiths, 

 F.R.S., of Cardiff, pointed out the desirability of binding 

 together all the scientific societies of this 

 kingdom, so that they could move, in matters 

 of national importance, as one body. He 

 pictured them, at present, as a scattered heap 

 of iron filings, waiting for the British Associ- 

 ation to act as a magnet in their midst, so 

 as to " transform the confused assemblage into 

 a field of symmetry and beauty." 



The work of the local societies may be said, 

 broadly speaking, to be of two kinds, 

 i'ducational and technical, the latter including 

 observational and investigational work. Of 

 these branches, the chairman was disposed, in 

 I he present state of things, to regard the 

 former as the more important. " The work is 

 educational not only in arousing intelligent 

 interest in the facts of natural science and 

 quickening in the individual tbe power of 

 observation, but also in promoting the 

 missionary spirit which will enable the 

 members to excite the interest and sympathy 

 of their neighbours." 



In order to extend the influence of the British 



Association, Principal Griffiths suggested some 



relaxation in the rules which now regulate the 



admission of societies. At present no society 



can be brought into union unless it publishes 



the results of original investigations. But, 



-aid he, " it is very doubtful if publication is 



the best test of merit " ; and he added that if 



we exclude those societies which " refrain 



' from adding to the mass of literature under 



which there is danger of our being smothered, 



it is possible that we are excluding the very bodies whose 



sympathy and interest we should most wish to encourage." 



Principal Griffiths was accordingly led to advocate the 

 recognition of two classes of corresponding societies, one 

 to be called affiliated societies, conforming to the existing 

 regulations, the other to be called associated societies, in- 

 cluding any local society which has existed for a period 

 of, say, three years, and numbers not fewer than fifty 

 members. " Surely," said the chairman, " we desire to 

 throw our doors as wide open as possible, surely we wish to 

 give every encouragement to all scientific societies, but inore 

 especially to those working under difficulties, to strengthen 

 the hands of their promoters, and to ask their aid and 

 assistance in our deliberations. Moreover, it is precisely 

 those societies with narrow means, and whose members 

 are possibly drawn from working classes, that can be of the 

 greatest use to us. They are missionaries situated where 

 we most want them, and preaching to the unconverted. 

 This yearly meeting of single delegates from a few of the 

 leading societies, although an admirable nucleus, is not 

 sufficient to produce crystallisation of the scientific interests 

 in solution in the population of this kingdom." , 



As a ineans of inter-communication between the societies, 

 and with the view of uniting them " in common action for 



