634 
distribution of floating ice to be very important, and appeals to 
the hydrographic and meteorological institutes of the countries 
whose ships frequent high latitudes to induce the masters of 
vessels to keep a regular record of the occurrence of drifting ice. 
The Congress believes that the Danish Meteorological Institute 
in Copenhagen is the best adapted as an international centre for 
collecting the records. 
(11) The Congress nominates an international committee to 
consider the nomenclature of the floor of the ocean, and to 
produce and publish at latest in time for the next Congress a 
chart of the ocean with revised nomenclature. 
(12) The Congress hopes that the names of oceanic islands, 
especially in the Pacific, will be revised witha view to ascer- 
taining and preserving the native names. Where no native names 
exist or can be ascertained, the names given by the discoverers 
should be used. The arbitrary changing of established names 
ought to be opposed by every means. 
(13) The Congress recognises the desirability of obtaining 
data for a more exact estimate than now exists of countries in 
which there is no means of taking a census, and desires to bring 
the matter to the notice of such Governments as have foreign 
possessions. 
(14) The Congress expresses sympathy with the proposal to 
equip an expedition in New South Wales, with the sole object 
of endeavouring to discover remains or traces of the route of the 
Leichhardt expedition, which perished in the interior of Australia 
fifty-two years ago. 
(15) The Congress is favourable to the foundation of an inter- 
national seismological society, and appoints an international 
committee for the study of earthquakes. 
(16) The Congress believes the production of a map of the 
world on the scale of I: 1,000,000, the sheets bounded by 
meridians and parallels, to be both useful and desirable. The 
Permanent Bureau of the Congress is instructed to deal with the 
question, and in the first instance to secure the preparation of 
a projection for the map with degree-lines on the determined 
scale. 
(17) The Congress considers the establishment of an Inter- 
national Cartographical Association of service, and appoints a 
committee to take preliminary steps. 
THE SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE AT 
WIESBA DEN. 
E refer in a leading article to one of the most important 
developments of scientific organisation which our time 
has seen. The proceedings at a recent conference at Wiesbaden, 
dealing with this matter, are thus stated in Monday’s 7¢mes :— 
“* For ‘several years past there has existed an Association or 
Cartell of the Academies of Sciences of Munich and Vienna and 
of the Royal Societies of Sciences of Gottingen and Leipzig. 
which has met yearly to discuss matters of common interest, 
and the combined action of these bodies has in several ways 
been fruitful of results. Representatives of the Royal Society 
of London attended the meeting held last year at Gottingen, as 
well as that which took place the previous year at Leipzig, 
chiefly with the object of discussing the project of an inter- 
national catalogue of scientific literature which the society has 
been engaged in promoting. 
“*When the invitation was conveyed to the Royal Society of 
London to send representatives to the Gottingen meeting it was 
intimated that the Cartell would be glad to learn the views of 
the society as to the possibility of its joining the association. 
The delegates appointed from London were instructed to state 
that the Royal Society would be disposed to join provided that 
the organisation were so extended as to assume a truly inter- 
national character. This suggestion was not only accepted in 
principle at Gottingen, but it was agreed that the Royal Society 
of London should be requested to take the steps, if thought 
desirable, to ascertain how far the establishment of such an 
international association would commend itself to the leading 
scientific bodies of other countries. 
‘*The Royal Society of Sciences of Berlin, although not in- 
cluded in the Cartell, has for several years past been repre- 
sented at its meetings. When the Royal Society of London 
had ascertained that the project was likely to find favour it 
was agreed that the Royal Society and the Berlin Academy 
should together issue an invitation to the Academy of Science, 
Paris, the Imperial Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, the 
NO. 1565, VOL. 60] 
NATORE 
[OcTOBER 26, 1899 
Reale Accademia dei Lincei, Rome, the National Academy, 
Washington, U.S.A., as well as to the bodies included in the 
Cartel!l, requesting them to send delegates to a conference to 
be held in Wiesbaden on the roth and rith of this month. 
“At the conference, excepting the Reale Accademia dei 
Lincei, which was unable to send delegates, although in full 
sympathy with the movement, all the bodies invited were 
represented—the Berlin Academy by Messrs. Auwers, Virchow 
and Diels ; the Gottingen Society by Messrs. Ehlers and Leo ; 
the Leipzig Society by Messrs. Windisch and Wislicenus ; the 
Royal Society by Messrs. Riicker, Armstrong and Schuster ; 
the Munich Academy by Messrs. von Zittel Dyck and von 
Sicherer; the Paris Academy by Messrs. Darboux and 
Moissan ; the St. Petersburg Academy by Messrs. Famintzine 
and Salemann; the Washington Academy by Messrs. New- 
comb, Remsen and Bowditch; and the Vienna Academy by 
Messrs. Mussafia, von Lang, Lieben and Gomperz. 
“Prof. Auwers, one of the secretaries of the Berlin Academy, 
occupied the chair, and the success of the meeting was largely 
due to the extreme ability and tact, combined with judicious 
firmness, with which he conducted the proceedings, Besides 
showing himself a master of the three languages—German, 
French and English—used in the debates, he was thoroughly 
informed on every point which came up for discussion. 
Fortunately, all the delegates appeared to be actuated by the 
desire to co-operate, and there was little difficulty in framing 
statutes which all were prepared to accept. 
“The immediate outcome of the conference has been that it is 
resolved to found an international union of the principal scien- 
tific and literary bodies of the world, the object of which will 
be to initiate or promote scientific enterprises of general interest 
recommended by one or more of the associated bodies, and to 
facilitate scientific intercourse between different countries. It 
is to be known as the International Association of Academies. 
A number of important bodies besides those represented at 
Wiesbaden are to be invited to join. General meetings of 
delegates from the various constituent academies are to take 
place, as a rule, at intervals of three years, but the interval may 
be varied and special meetings held if necessary. The Royal 
Society had proposed, prior to the conference, that the first 
general meeting should be held in Paris next year. At the 
general meetings two sections will be constituted, one dealing 
with mathematics and the natural sciences, the other with arts 
and philosophy. 
‘© A council is to be appointed which will carry on the business 
in the intervals between meetings. The formation of committees 
of experts to initiate and promote scientific investigations of 
international importance is also contemplated. 
“* Tt remains to be mentioned that the Berlin Academy had 
also arranged for the entertainment of the delegates at the close 
of the debates. On the Monday evening they were invited to 
attend a performance of Lortzing’s opera Undine, and on the 
Tuesday they were entertained at dinner in the Kurhaus. On 
the latter occasion Prof. Virchow occupied the chair, and opened 
the proceedings by toasting the delegates generally ; he was 
followed by Prof. Darboux, of Paris, who proposed the health 
of the Berlin Academy. In the course of the evening, in 
characteristic German style, every other possible toast was 
proposed by one or other of the delegates. 
“Tt is to be hoped that when the statutes framed at the con- 
ference are communicated to the various bodies interested they 
will meet with approval, and that the establishment of the 
organisation will soon be an accomplished fact. In times when 
political feeling is so strongly developed the provision of a 
common platform on which all nations can meet amicably and 
co-operate in furthering scientific enterprises must prove of the 
very greatest value; and if the spirit of amity which prevailed 
at the conference be extended to future meetings the success of 
the association is assured.” 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
CAMBRIDGE.—Sir Michael Foster has been reappointed a 
manager of the Balfour Fund for zoological research. 
Mr. Yule Oldham, reader in geography, is giving three 
courses of lectures this term: (1) on the Geography of Europe, 
for history students; (2) on Physical Geography ; and (3) on 
the History of Geographical Discovery. 
