Nov. 25, 1886] 



NA TURE 



79 



vestigating British Barrows and other prehistoric remains. 

 This suggestion had been put forward at the Aberdeen 

 Conference last year by Prof Weldola, and a Committee 

 was about to be formed by Section H for carrying out 

 this object. 



Mr. H. Heywood considered that the relationship now 

 existing between the British .Association and the Corre- 

 sponding Societies had already been of great assistance to 

 the Societies themselves. In the case of his own Society 

 (Cardiff) they had been able to assist one of the Com- 

 mittees (Erratic Blocks) brought under the notice of the 

 .■\berdeen Conference last year. 



Prof Lebour stated that many of the local Societies, 

 such as the North of England Institute, which he repre- 

 sented, were composed of engineers connected with large 

 works, who might make useful investigations which would 

 be facilitated if backed up by the authority of the British 

 .Association. For this reason he hoped that other subjects 

 besides natural history, geology, or anthropology would be 

 recognised at the Conferences. 



Captain Galton explained that the obje:t of the Con- 

 ference of Delegates was to bring the Corresponding 

 Societies into direct communication with all the Com- 

 mittees of the British .Association, to which the local 

 Societies or individual members of these might render 

 assistance. This could of course be only eflected by 

 degrees, but he suggested that as a preliminary step it 

 might be found useful to place the Delegates on the 

 Committees of those Sections in which they or their 

 Societies had the most interest. 



Dr. Williamson supported this proposition, and the 

 Secretary took down the names of the Delegates to be 

 attached to the various Sectional Committees. 



Prof Hillhouse and Dr. Garson expressed their will- 

 ingness, as Secretaries of -Sections D and H respectively, 

 to propose Delegates as members of the Sectional Com- 

 mittees. 



Mr. Hopkinson suggested that among other methods of 

 promoting work among local Societies it might be found 

 advantageous for the Delegates themselves to make sug- 

 gestions at the Conference which might lead, through the 

 proper channels, to the formation of new Committees by 

 the British .Association. He stated that his own Society 

 (Hertfordshire) had already rendered material assistance 

 to the Erratic Blocks Committee of the .Association, and 

 they hoped to render similar service to the Underground 

 Waters Committee. 



The following resolution, framed with the object of 

 keeping the Corresponding Societies informed of the work 

 being done by the British .Association Committees, was 

 moved by Dr. Garson, seconded by Captain Galton, and 

 passed unanimously : — 



" That the Secretary of the British .Association be 

 requested to send a list of the several Committees ap- 

 pointed by the .Association to each of the Delegates of the 

 Corresponding Societies, or to the Secretaries of these 

 Societies, as soon as possible after the meeting of the 

 .Association, together with a copy of the proceedings of 

 the meetings of the Conference of Delegates." 



At the second Conference the chair was taken in the 

 -absenceof Dr. Williamson by Prof Boyd Dawkins, P'.R.S., 

 the Corresponding Societies Committee being represented 

 by Dr. Garson, iVIr. John Hopkinson, F.L.S., and the 

 Secretary, Prof R. Meldola, F.R.S. 



The Secretary read the minutes of the proceedings of 

 the first Conference, and it was stated that in accordance 

 with the decision then arrived at the Delegates had 

 been placed on the respective Sectional Committees as 

 " Delegate Members." 



The Chairman directed attention to the kind of work 

 which might be done at the Conferences, stating that as 

 a member of the Council of the British .Association he 

 knew that the .Association was anxious to consolidate thij 



work of the local Societies. He suggested that the best 

 mode of procedure would be to take the different Sections 

 seriatim, and hear the recommendations forwarded by the 

 Committees of these Sections, together with suggestions 

 by the Delegates respecting the lines of investigation in 

 which the local Societies could take part. 



Seciions .a axd B. — No recommendations from the 

 Committees of these Sections having been forwarded to 

 the Secretary of the Conference, the Chairman invited 

 suggestions from the Delegates. 



Luminous Meteors. — Mr. F. T. Mott suggested that 

 much useful work might be done if the local Societies 

 would undertake to record systematically the appearance, 

 position, direction, &c., of luminous meteors. 



The .Secretary stated that a Committee of the British 

 Association was for many years in existence for the pur- 

 pose of carrying out these observations, but, for some 

 reason unknown to him, the Committee appeared now to 

 have ceased its labours. 



Magnetic and Tidal Observations. — Mr. J. Martin 

 White suggested that some of the local Societies which 

 were favourably situated for the purpose might under- 

 take systematic observations of local tidal and magnetic 

 phenomena. 



^[eteorologieal and Phenological Observations. — Mr. 

 Heywood stated that many valuable meteorological obser- 

 vations were buried in the log-books of steamships, and 

 suggested that some of the local Societies might render 

 good service to meteorology by examining these books 

 and keeping records of any important entries. Mr. Hop- 

 kinson pointed out two ways in which the local Societies 

 might advance meteorological science. In the first plice 

 he thought that many observers in different parts of the 

 country might be in the habit of recording the rainfall or 

 other meteorological phenomena without communicating 

 the results to Mr. Symons. Good service would be ren- 

 dered if the Corresponding Societies w-ould find out such 

 observers and put them into communication with Mr. 

 Symons.^ In the next place he suggested that observa- 

 tions of the time of flowering of plants, first appearances 

 of birds and insects, &c., might be systematically recorded 

 and forwarded to the Royal Meteorological Society by 

 those observers who had not hitherto been in the habit of 

 communicating their results to that Society. 



Section C— Mr. C. E. De Ranee, F.G.S., attended the 

 Conference on behalf of the Committee of this Section. 

 The three following recommendations were forwarded by 

 the Secretary of the Section :^ 



Sea Coasts Erosion.— "■'Y'adA Messrs. R. B. Granth.im, 

 C. E. De Ranee, J. B. Redman, W. Topley, W. Whitaker, 

 and J. W. Woodall, Major-General Sir .A. Clarke, Admiral 

 Sir E. Ommanney, Sir J. N. Douglass, Captain J. Parsons, 

 Captain W. J. L. Wharton, Prof J. Prestwich,and Messrs. 

 E. Easton, J. S. Valentine, and L. F. Vernon Harcourt be 

 reappointed a Committee for the purpose of inquiring 

 into the Rate of Erosion of the Sea Coasts of England 

 and Wales, and the influence of the .Artificial .Abstraction 

 of Shingle or other Material in that Action ; that Messrs. 

 De Ranee and Toplev be the Secretaries." 



Uihler^'round Waters.—'' That Prof E. Hull. Dr. H. W 

 Crosskey, Captain Douglas Galton, Prof J. Prestwich, 

 and Messrs. James Glaisher, E. B. Marten, G. H. Morton, 

 James Parker, W. Pengellv, James Plant, 1. Roberts, Fox- 

 Strangways, T. S. Stooke, G. J. Symons, W. Topley, 

 Tylden-Wright, E. Wethered, W. Whitaker, and C. E. 

 De Ranee be reappointed a Committee for the purpose of 

 investigating the Circulation of the Underground Waters 

 in the Permeable Formations of England, and the Quality 

 and Quantity of the Waters supplied to various towns and 

 districts from these formations ; and that Mr. De Ranee 

 be the Secretary." 



Erratic Bloelcs.—"T\\^i Profs. J. Prestwich, W. Boyd 

 Dawkins, T. McK. Hughes, and T. G. Bonney, Dr. H. W. 



■ C. J. Symons, F.R.S., 62, Camden Square, London, N.W. 



