DECEMBER 21, 1916], 
can ascertain of conditions in the past, it is clear that 
—in addition to the presence of the fish, which can 
robably be relied upon in most years—it is necessary 
or a prosperous herring fishery in the Isle of Man 
either that a local market should be constituted by 
competing buyers and curers from Scotland or else- 
where, or that arrangements should be made to trans- 
port the daily catch by steam-carriers to a market on 
the mainland, such as Liverpool, Fleetwood, or Holy- 
head. As a result of the lack of market facilities, it 
may be noted that during the greater part of this 
summer herrings have been sold retail at Port Erin at 
twenty for a shilling, while in Liverpool they cost _ 
from three-halfpence to twopence halfpenny each. 
After the war it will for some time probably be just 
as important as it is now to prevent money from 
leaving the country, and with a view to this, as well 
as for other reasons—in brief, the production of food 
and the employment of men—it is obviously desirable 
that all home productivity should be organised and 
stimulated. The exploitation of minor fishing indus- 
tries along our shores naturally occurs as one step in 
this direction, and the economic need for developing 
these deserving industries seems obvious and urgent. 
THE LONDON MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. 
iby the midst of the universal cataclysm of the war, 
when all interests are strained towards the 
national defence, the London Mathematical Society 
has passed, without notice, its fiftieth year of activity. 
The first meeting was held at University College, on 
January 16, 1865, and heard an address by Prof, de 
Morgan on the aims and prospects of the society. The 
de Morgan medal is a reminder for us of his pre- 
dominant share in the inauguration of the society, 
which he did not survive long to guide. In the early 
days the publications consisted of a series of pamph- 
lets separately paged, containing single communica- 
tions; the names of Sylvester, Cayley, Harley, Tucker 
occur as authors in the first year. 
later brief reports of meetings, along with papers by 
de Morgan, Sylvester, Crofton, Cayley, H. J. S. 
Smith, Cotterill, and others. These publications now 
stand as vol. i. of the first series of the Proceedings. With 
vol. ii., which begins with the annual general meeting 
of November 8, 1866, the Proceedings became crystal- 
lised into a form which has persisted substantially, 
except as regards size of page, to the present time. 
The society began operations with twenty-seven 
original members, nearly all of them members of 
University College, London; at the end of the first 
year the number of members was sixty-nine, rising’ to 
ninety-four in November, 1866; and the society had 
already become representative of British mathematical 
science by having on its roll most of the eminent 
investigators in our subject belonging to Cambridge 
and Oxford, as well as London. ; 
On January 15, 1866, it was resolved ‘ That steps 
be taken to ascertain on behalf of the society whether 
and on what terms rooms can be obtained at Burling- 
ton House,” and on November 8 a report was made 
that “by the kindness of the Chemical Society in lend- 
ing their rooms, the society had been enabled to: hold 
their meetings at Burlington House, where they now 
meet for the first time.’’ ° By 1868 most of the British 
authorities on pure and applied mathematics of that 
time, who were residert within reach, including de 
Morgan, Cayley, Sylvester, Hirst, Crofton, H. ie: Sa 
Smith, Archibald Smith, Clerk Maxwell, Spottiswoode, ' 
S. Roberts, Clifford, Stirling, had been taking active 
1 From an address delivered at the anniversary meeting of the London 
Mathematical Societv on November 2 by the retiring president, Sir Joseph 
Larm r, M.Ps, F.R.S. 
NO. 2460, VOL. 98] 
NATURE 
There ' followed - 
319 
share in the work of the society by attendance and 
service on the council, as well as by the contribution 
of papers for discussion at the meetings. We must 
not omit from this list Lord Rayleigh, whose memoirs 
illuminated our Proceedings for many years; who, 
stimulated by the increasing importance of the society, 
became the donor of our most substantial benefaction, 
which has largely increased our resources for publica- 
tion ever since the early days. In November, 1870, the 
society migrated to rooms occupied also by the British 
Association, in the house of the Royal Asiatic Society, 
22 Albemarle Street, where accommodation was found 
for the library, of which a nucleus had been formed 
by the books of Sir J. W. Lubbock, the physical astro- 
nomer, presented by his son, afterwards Lord Avebury ; 
and there by successive forms of tenancy we have 
remained until now. 
For some years past the library, rendered valuable 
by accumulation of scientific journals through ex- 
change, and by donations of books, has quite outgrown 
the accommodation available; and weighty complaints 
became frequent that, by overcrowding, the books had 
become, notwithstanding the zeal of successive 
honorary librarians, almost inaccessible to members of 
the society. The problem, thus pressed upon them 
from many sides, was taken in hand resolutely by the 
council during the last session, and after various plans 
had been proposed and closely considered, a solution 
was reached. 
It came to the knowledge of the council that the 
Royal-Astronomical Society would probably be willing 
to extend hospitality to the Mathematical Society, as 
regards both place of meeting and general head- 
quarters, thereby establishing, or rather renewing, an 
alliance between British mathematicians and astro- 
nomers, whose activities have always interpenetrated 
with the closest mutual benefit. Following on the 
confirmation of this plan, subject to the approval of 
the Office of Works, arrangements have also been 
made with great cordiality by the authorities of the 
Science Museum at South Kensington, whereby our 
library will be deposited in their scientific library under 
a scheme which will maintain full use of it by the 
members of the society, in surroundings where the 
cognate scientific literature, and extensive mechanical 
applications of mathematical principles, will be_ 
accessible for study. ° 
We have, therefore, the pleasure now. of holding 
the first of our meetings under the new conditions, at 
Burlington House, in very congenial surroundings. 
The necessities of the national emergency have 
mobilised with striking success the industrial resources 
of science, hitherto neglected too largely in our defen- 
sive organisations. A most welcome result is the in- 
creased sense that has arisen of the national value of 
scientific pursuits; but danger is by no means absent 
that, in the haste to secure the material fruit, the 
welfare of the tree of knowledge, the pure and fertile 
source from which it springs, may be neglected or 
even impaired, and, like others of ancient days as 
well as recent times, we may succumb to the tempta- 
tion ‘‘propter vitam vivendj perdere causas.” 
It is our duty here to take into consideration how 
our own special energies may best be rejuvénated and_ 
renewed, so as to become more effective in the en- 
hanced and purified national life which, as we trust, 
will emerge from our present ordeal. Mathematical 
knowledge, in all ages the ally of sustained and 
exact activities, is now more indispensable than ever, 
when our material well-being depends so much on 
scientific engineering in its mechanical, electrical, and 
chemical forms. The highest commendation of any 
growing department of research is to be able to say 
that it is approaching the quantitative, the mathe- 
matical, form; many sciences, formerly descriptive and 
