522 NATURE 
[JuLty 8, 1915 

up to now, in order to consider what it is best to do. 
And I must repeat that the whole energy of every 
subject of our King must now—at once—be solely 
devoted to one object: that of helping our soldiers to 
defeat the enemy. Our Government has missed one 
great chance; if they had declared cotton contraband 
of war in January, as they were implored to do from 
many quarters, in all probability the war would be 
now nearing its end; the enemy would have run short 
of propulsive ammunition. 
I may be allowed to quote a letter I have received 
from a distinguished French professor of chemistry, 
an adviser to the French War Office :— 
“Le coton doit étre prohibé au méme titre que le 
cuivre. I] est aussi indispensable a la fabrication des 
munitions que ce métal et, avec les exigences actuelles 
de la balistique, il ne peut étre remplacé par aucune 
autre matiére premiére pour la fabrication du coton- 
poudre. 
“‘J’ose maintenant esperer que votre flotte fera bonne 
garde et qu’elle ne laissera plus passer les nombreux 
chargements qui s’acheminent vers ]’Allemagne par le 
voie de le Suéde, du Danemark et surtout de la 
Hollande. 
“Tl est probable que si ces derniers pays avaient 
pratiqué une vraie neutralité, nous serions bien prés 
de la fin des hostilités et n’aurions plus 4 déplorer 
des pertes journaliéres de milliers de vies humaines.”’ 
As it is, cotton is still freely entering Germany 
through Rotterdam; it is true that a Dutch syndicate 
is bound under a penalty of 1o,oo0l. to exclude it, if 
delivered to them; but there is good reason to believe 
that this penalty is ineffective. 
It is bad policy to regret what might have been; 
it is much better to try to devise plans to make up 
for lost time; and the first essential is organisation. 
It is notorious that there is little intercommunication 
between the various Government Departments; many 
of them are confronted by the same difficulties; many 
of these difficulties would be overcome if scientific 
advice were asked for; and the prime necessity at the 
present moment is a central body of scientific men, to 
whom the various Government Departments should 
be compelled to apply for advice and assistance. And 
more; it should be within the province of sucha central 
organisation of science to propose new means of cir- 
cumventing the enemy; it should have access to 
special information, and should be in close touch with 
all Departments of State, by having State officials as 
assessors at the meetings of the committees. 
Instead of this centralisation, what do we see? 
Numerous small committees, composed of men who* 
may be perfectly capable, but who are not in the 
public view; men whose mouths are muzzled, because 
it has been decided, in each case, to keep their names 
secret. This, I think, is due to a confusion of ideas; 
there is no object in preserving secrecy as to the mem- 
bers of such committees; there is every reason that 
they should regard their deliberations and actions as 
confidential. 
Now, the creation of such small committees by 
various members of the Government has had the effect 
of stopping the organisation of men of science. Those 
who are serving on the committees feel that they 
would be guilty of a breach of trust were they to take 
part in the formation of a strong, central body of 
organised science. Hence various attempts to elicit 
the views of the fellows of the Royal and_ other 
societies have been blocked at the outset. What is 
the remedy? Let us see if we cannot learn from our 
neighbours the French; they have a remarkable power 
of meeting a difficult situation. 
I have before me a document headed ‘ République 
francaise. Ministére du Commerce, de I’Industrie, des 
Postes et Télégraphes. Office des Produits Chimiques * 
NO. 2384, VOL. 95] 
i} . 
; et Pharmaceutiques.’ 

, 
The directeur is one of the 
best-known French chemists, the discoverer of syn- 
thetic camphor and the inventor of a process for pro- 
ducing it commercially. 
Various ‘‘Commissions,” or, as we should say, 
Committees, have been appointed. These are :—(1) 
Commission on Patents. (2) Commission on Chemical 
Solvents, Alcohol, etc. (3) Future Commercial Situa- 
tion of German Works in France. (4) Customs Com- 
mission; Customs Union of the Allies. (5) Transport 
Commission : Rail, River, and Canal, and on the High 
Seas. 
Other special Commissions deal with colours, drugs, 
general chemical manufactures, including manures, 
and with synthetic and natural perfumes. These are 
all in active operation. Each will make a report which 
will go first before the General Commission, and after- 
wards their proposals will be brought before the 
Chambre des Députés—the French Parliament. 
Just imagine the state of mind of the permanent 
officials of our Government Departments were such 
a scheme forced upon them! It would disturb the 
even tenor of their way; they would be obliged to 
do something, instead of carefully classifying all pro- 
posals made to them, and putting each into its appro- 
priate pigeon-hole. But they have not yet realised 
that we are engaged in a war in which ancient prac- 
tices may have to be superseded. 
What are men of science to do? The Chemical 
Society has begun to organise itself; the Royal Society 
still hangs fire; other societies, I believe, have made 
attempts. It must be admitted that they have received 
scant encouragement. The recent deputation of some 
societies to Messrs. Runciman and Pease has resulted 
in the appointment of an Advisory Council of the 
Board of Education to encourage research. Various 
eminent men have been asked by Mr. Henderson, Mr. 
Pease’s successor in office, to serve on this Council. 
It would appear that their functions will be chiefly 
to encourage education, especially in connection with 
research—a most excellent object, but surely one which 
can stand over until this life-and-death struggle is 
decided. I am glad to learn that it is not proposed 
to establish more scholarships; they tempt young men 
to embark on a scientific career for which there is little 
reward; for many of our manufacturers have not had 
time to grasp Lord Playfair’s aphorism, now more 
than sixty years old—It is only experience, aided by 
science, that is rapid in development, and certain in 
action.” 
It is never too late to try to mend; and it is clear 
that we need expect no initiative from members of our 
Government. But we might, as_ scientific men, 
organise ourselves; and then endeavour to induce the 
Coalition Government to take some such steps as were 
taken by the French Government on August 4. 
I am much indebted to Lord Sydenham for per- 
mission to use a draft of a scheme, which he provided 
at my request, for the organisation of the Royal 
Society. It has not yet been submitted to that body, 
which stands at the head of all our other scientific 
societies, nor to other societies; but it is certain that 
each society, after organising itself, would be willing 
to place its organisation at the disposal of the oldest 
and premier scientific society of the world. His 
scheme is as follows :— 
“The Royal Society keenly desires to place all its 
resources of expert knowledge and experience, collec- 
tive and individual, at the disposal of his Majesty’s 
Government, for the purposes of the war. 
“Tt is also proposed to act as an intermediary 
between H.M. Government and other learned societies 
with a view to obtain their co-operation, which, it is 
certain, will be freely given. 
“Already the Royal Society has formed committees 

