NATURE 
THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1902. 
THE NEW INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE. 
The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature. 
M. Botany, part i. (Published for the International 
Council by the Royal Society of London, 1902.) 
\ HEN the idea of a complete index of scientific 
literature was first seriously put forward, it was 
thought by nota few persons that the magnitude of the 
task would prove of so overwhelming a nature that its 
promoters seemed to be courting almost certain failure. 
The older “Catalogue of Scientific Papers” published by 
the Royal Society, although of considerable value, cannot 
in any sense be called a complete record of the hordes 
of papers which were pouring forth in ever-increasing 
volume from the pens of useful and useless writers alike. 
Moreover, the publication of this catalogue has been in 
abeyance since 1883. 
It is obvious to anyone reflecting on the matter that 
it was no longer possible for any single scientific society, 
unless extraordinary funds were placed at its disposal, 
adequately to continue the work. For apart from the 
cost of actual production, the catalogue itself, unless 
rapidly brought up to date by the publication of com- 
plete bibliographies at short intervals, must inevitably 
lose much of its value to those actively engaged in 
work. And thus on grounds of convenience and utility, 
as well as of policy, it was decided that endeavours 
should be made to place the undertaking on an inter- 
national basis. A considerable number of leading 
foreign societies and individuals were approached with 
the view of ascertaining the possibility of evolving a 
satisfactory scheme which should at the same time be a 
practicable one. On the whole the replies were so favour- 
able that it became a plain duty to push forward an enter- 
prise from which, if successful, would accrue results of 
inestimable value to science and hence of immense 
importance to the world at large. 
A conference was held in London during the summer 
of 1896, and it was attended by representatives of more 
than twenty different countries. At that meeting the 
preliminary steps were taken towards the inauguration 
of a catalogue of which the volume before us comes as 
the first instalment. A committee of the Royal Society 
appointed to investigate the working details of the 
scheme reported to a second representative conference 
in the autumn of 1898, and at this meeting the general 
lines on which the work was to proceed were drawn up. 
A subsequent international conference was held in 1900 
to consider the more detailed schemes which had been 
drafted as the coordinated results of very extensive 
inquiries and investigations by the Royal Society. 
Furthermore, inasmuch as in a costly undertaking of this 
nature financial as well as other kinds of cooperation 
forms an essential factor of success, this aspect of the 
matter also received the full consideration of the dele- 
gates, and a satisfactory conclusion was arrived at. 
As a result of the deliberations, the Royal Society 
agreed to act as the publishers of the catalogue and to 
advance the initial capital required, on the understand- 
ing that the latter be repaid during the ensuing five 
NO. 1705, VOL. 66] 
217 
years. The ultimate control of the whole undertaking is 
vested in an international council, a convention of which 
is to be held in London in 1905 and thenceforth at ten- 
yearly intervals. It has been also agreed, and very 
wisely, that the scheme of the catalogue as now finally 
approved is to be given a fair trial of at least five years’ 
duration before any serious modification may be 
introduced. 
The first convention was held in December 1900, when 
it was resolved that the work should begin forthwith and 
that the contents of the catalogue should be compiled as 
from January 1, 1901. It is, however, satisfactory to 
know that the gap existing between the catalogue of 
1800-1883 and that of 1901 now incepted is about to be 
filled up, and that a list of papers published during this 
interval, together with a subject-index for the whole 
period, is in actual course of preparation. 
Much of what has here been said will doubtless be 
already familiar to many readers of NATURE. But only 
those who have watched the untiring activity of the 
leaders of this enterprise who have thereby succeeded in 
doing so much for the organisation of science, can at all 
adequately estimate the continuous strain and effort 
required to cause it to take a tangible shape. 
As at present determined, the main branches of science 
are treated separately and are arranged under seventeen 
heads, each being indicated by a letter of the alphabet. 
The further ramifications of each branch are grouped 
according to authors and subjects. The classification of 
the latter (printed in English, French, German and 
Italian) is based on convenient subdivisions of the par- 
ticular science concerned, and the respective headings 
are denoted, for purposes of index and cross-reference, 
by numbers. The final units are also arranged in 
alphabetical order. 
The first volume of the catalogue which has just made 
its appearance deals with the literature of botany, and it 
is stated to be a first instalment of the entire volume due 
for the year 1901, and it is promised that a second part 
shall be forthcoming in the near future. As soon as the 
difficulties inseparable from the commencement of such 
a work have been overcome, it is intended that an 
entire volume shall be published in each year. We 
venture to think that it might have been well to have 
waited in the present instance until the volume could 
have been completed, or else that part i. should have 
been confined to the literature of a stated portion 
of the year. 
The appearance on the tile-page of Mr. Daydon 
Jackson’s name is of itself a guarantee as to the care 
with which the compilation has been effected. The 
slips actually detected are few, but we confess that 
we have not been able to ascertain on what principle 
some of the omissions are to be accounted for. Thus, to 
take the case of the Ammals of Botany, there appeared in 
the June and September issues two papers, both by 
M. C. Ferguson, dealing with the reproduction pro- 
cesses in pines, and yet, so far as we can discover, only 
the second one is quoted. We have also noted other 
omissions from the Azza/s, to confine ourselves to the 
case of one periodical alone. 
Nevertheless, making due allowance for anomalies 
which experience will soon correct, the volume deserves 
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