^?(f. 22, 1871] 



NA TURE 



331 



A copy of this resolution was forwarded to the Royal 

 Society, and a committee was appointed, consisting of the 

 president and offi-ers of the Association. Dr. Carpenter, 

 Prof. Huxley, Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys, Mr. C. W. Siemens, and 

 Prof. Williamson, and authorised to co-operate with the 

 Committee of the Royal Society in carrying out the objects 

 referred to in the resolution. The expedition has been 

 organised, the ship CliaUiugcrx's. being fitted out at Sheer- 

 ness, Capt. Nares has been appointed to the command, 

 and Prof. Wyville Thomson (who has obtained three 

 years' leave of absence from the University of Edinburgh) 

 is appointed to the scientific charge, with an adequate 

 staff under him. It is hoped that the expedition will sail 

 about the end of November. 



Second resolution : 



1. '-That it is desirable that the British Association 

 apply to the Treasury for funds to enable the tidal com- 

 mittee to make observations and to continue their calcu- 

 lations. 



2. "That it is desirable that the British Association 

 should urge upon the Government of India the importance, 

 for navigation and other practical purposes and for science, 

 of making accurate and continued observations on the 

 tides at several points on the coast of India." 



With the result of these applications we have already 

 informed our readers, and discussed the bearings on 

 the future of Science of the attitude of the Govern- 

 ment.* 



Third resolution : — 



" That the Council of the Association be requested to 

 take such steps as to them may seem most expedient in 

 support of a proposal, made by Dr. Buys Ballot, to 

 establish a telegraphic meteorological station at the 

 Azores." 



The Council appointed a Committee of their own body 

 to report upon this proposal. The Committee, after due 

 deliberation, reportfd that while sympathising with the 

 proposal made by Dr. Bu)S Ballot, they cannot recomm.end 

 a grant of money to be made by the Association for 

 carrying it out. In this recommendation the Council 

 concur. 



Fourth resolution : — 



" That the Council be requested to take into considera- 

 tion the desirability of the publication of a periodic record 

 of advances made'in the various branches of sciences re- 

 presented by the British Association." 



The Council, after a cartful consideration of this pro- 

 posal, are not prepared to recommend the Association to 

 undertake the publication of a periodic record of advances 

 made in the various branches of science represented by 

 the sections of the British Association. They are of 

 opinion that in so vast an undeitaking special societies 

 should be invited to prepare such records, the action of 

 the Association being limited to occasional grants in aid. 

 They are of opmion, however, that the Association would 

 do well to promote the more frequent publication in their 

 proceedings of critical reports on various branches of 

 science, of the same nature as those which have already 

 rendered previous volumes so valuable to investigators. 



Fifth resolution : — 



" That the Council of this Association be requested to 

 take such steps as may appear to them desirable with re- 

 ference to the arrangements now in contemplation to 

 establish 'leaving examinations,' and to report to the 

 Association on the present position of science-teaching in 

 the public and first grade schools. 



" That the Council be requested to take such steps as 

 they deem wisest in order to promote the introduction of 

 scientific instruction into the elementary schools through- 

 out the country." 



A Committee, consisting of the President and the 

 General Officers, Mr. G. Busk, Mr. Debus, Dr. Duncan, 

 Mr. Fitch, Prof. M. Foster, Mr. F. Gallon, Dr. Hirst, 



* See Nat»iie, vol. vi., p. 157. 



Prof. Huxley, Sir John Lubbock, Bart., Sir J. Paget, Bart., 

 Rev. Prof. Price, Prof H. J. S. Smith, Prof. Stokes, Prof. 

 Tyndill, and Prof. Williamson, was appointed to consider 

 the first of these resolutions, and to report on them to the 

 Council. 



In accordance with the recommendation of this Com- 

 mittee the Council adopted the following resolution : — 



" That having had under consideration the requests 

 which the Committee of Masters of Schools have made 

 to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge upon points 

 in which the Education of the Universities and Schools 

 came into contact, the Council of the British Association 

 recommend that arithmetic, and either elementary physics 

 or chemistry experimentally treated, be introduced into 

 the leaving examinations as compulsor)' subjects. 



" That the Head Masters of Public Schools be re- 

 quested to furnish the Council with information about 

 the present position of Science-teaching in their 

 Schools." 



The Council have communicated thereon with the 

 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but at present no 

 decision respecting " leaving examinations " has been 

 arrived at in these Universities. 



In accordance with the terms of the resolutions passed 

 by the General Committee last year, appointing a 

 Committee on science lectures and organisation, the 

 action proposed to be taken by this Committee in the 

 following resolutions was referred to the Council and 

 sanctioned. 



'■ I. That a Sub-Committee, consisting of Dr. Carpen- 

 ter, Prof. Williamson, Prof W. G. Adams, Dr. Hirst, Mr. 

 Geo. Griffith, Dr. Michael Foster, and Prof. Roscoe, be 

 appointed for one year for the purpose of preparing a list of 

 Lecturers for the consideration cf this Committee, and of 

 communicating with the various towns with the view of 

 establishing a system of Science Lectures throughout the 

 country. 



" 2. That the names of the proposed Lecturers be se- 

 lected (with their fonsent) from amongst the Members of 

 the General Committee of the Association, or from amongst 

 the Graduates of any University in the L'nited Kingdom ; 

 and that the subjects upon which the Lectures be delivered 

 shall be such as are included in one or other of the Sec- 

 tions of the Association." 



The Committee have drawn up a Report, dealing gene- 

 rally with the subject of their inquiry, which the Council 

 recommend should be referred to the Committee of Re- 

 commendations. 



The Council have had under consideration the question 

 of enabling Members, who are unable to be present at 

 the Meetings, to obtain the Journal and other printed 

 papers, and they have adopted a Regulation as 

 follows : — 



" The Journal, President's Address, and other Printed 

 Papers, issued by the Association during the Annual, 

 Meeting, will be forwarded daily to Members and others 

 on application and prepayment of 2j. bd. to the Clerk of 

 the Association, on or before the first day of the meeting." 



The Council have added the following names of gen- 

 tlemen, present at the last meeting of the Association, to 

 the list of Corresponding Members, viz. :— His Imperial 

 Majesty the Empeior of the Brazils, Prof Dr. Colding, 

 Dr. Gijssfeldt, Dr. Liiroth, Dr. Lutken, Dr. Joseph Szabo. 



The followirg resolution was then agreed to:— "That 

 the members in the following list be constituted, with the 

 president and vice-presidents of the meeting, the past 

 presidents of former years, the trustees, the general and 

 assistant-general secretaries, a Committee of Recommen- 

 dations, viz. : — Mr. Gassiot, Prof. Henry Smith, Colonel 

 Strange, Prof. Williamson, Mr. Abel, Prof. Martin 

 Duncan, Dr. Burdon Sanderson, Colonel Lane Fox, Prof. 

 Michael Foster, Sir Walter Elliot, Prof.Wyville Ihomson, 

 Sir Henry Rawlinson, Mr. Newmarch, Mr. J. G. Fitch, 

 Prof. Hawkins, Mr. Siemens, Mr. Hawkshaw." 



