September 24, 1896] 



NA TURE 



49: 



This is a large meeting, the total number will probably 

 nearly reach 3200, and this will place it as one of the few 

 largest meetings of the Association ; it has certainly 

 been one of the busiest and liveliest. The hospitality of 

 Lord Derby, both at the Town Hall and at Knowsley, 

 and the banquets given by the Medical Institution and 

 the American Chamber of Commerce, have been much 

 appreciated. 



Notwithstanding the unsettled weather, the garden 

 parties have been largely attended, and have constituted 

 a most agreeable and welcome method of meeting the 

 members of other Sections. 



St. George's Hall has been much admired as an un- 

 equalled reception-room ; and with its new decoration, 

 its beautiful tiled pavement, the electric light, the grand 

 organ, and the crowd of people constantly passing to and 

 fro, has presented a gay and lively scene. 



.•\t the Sectional meetings, although there has been 

 nothing sensational, there is much evidence of solid 

 work, and many interesting discussions, such as that on 

 the Rcintgen rays, in .Section A, where Lenard is a notable 

 figure, and the joint discussions of Sections D and I, 

 on the origin of X'ertebrates, following Prof Gaskell's 

 interesting address. 



.Among some of the other more interesting events in 

 the .Sections which seem to be attracting public attention 

 were Prof. Ramsay on Helium and Argon, Prof Dewar's 

 account of liquid air, in Section B, the series of arctic 

 papers, including Sir Martin Conway's lecture on Spitz- 

 bergen, and Mr. Scott Keltie's account of Nansen, in the 

 Geographical Section, and the discussion, in Section H, 

 on the Mediterranean race and the origin of Myc;enean 

 culture. Other attractive items before the .Anthropological 

 Section were the question of the age of the Uolmens, 

 opinion being divided as to whether they belong to the 

 Bronze or the Neolithic period, and the discussion on the 

 femur of Pitliecanlliropus, a comparison of this celebrated 

 bone with the femora of savage races showing that all 

 its special characters are already known in human 

 femora. The Section celebrated in an interesting manner 

 the centenary of the Swede, Retzius the elder, the 

 originator of modern methods of craniology. 



One characteristic of the Sectional meetings has cer- 

 tainly been the e.\treme fulness of the programme, the 

 result being that some Sections have had to meet early and 

 continue sitting late ; most of them held meetings on the 

 Saturday, and several will have to continue their work 

 well into the Wednesday forenoon. 



Mention need not be made of the other scientific com- 

 mimications, as the usual special account of the work of 

 the Sections will appear in future issues of N.\Tt.iRE. 



The two conversaziones were brilliant functions, and 

 the impression amongst the \ isitors seemed to be that the 

 public rooms in Liverpool were very fine in dimensions and 

 decoration. At the first soiree — that given by the Lord 

 Mayor' — there were no adventitious attractions beyond the 

 stately reception and the pleasant meeting of friends. At 

 the local committees soiree in the Museum Library and 

 .\rt (iaileries, where ample accommodation is available, 

 there were short lectures, demonstrations, and various 

 exhibits which attracted much interest. Perhaps one of 

 the finest exhibits was the great collection of models of 

 ships lent by the Cunard, White Star, and other great 

 ocean lines. 



IJetween forty and fifty foreigners have been present, 

 amongst the more notable figures being the botanists, 

 Chodat, Pfitzer and Magnus : the physicists, Lenard and 

 Kohlrausch ; the archa-ologist, IVIontelius ; and the 

 zoologists, Hjort, Delage, and Minot. We have also 

 had de Candolle, Le Conte, Dupuy, Walther, and Count 

 Pfeil. 



The Loan Collection in the new Museum of Zoology at 

 University College seems to have been much appreciated. 

 The exhibits in the collection chiefly illustrate papers read 



NO. 1404, VOL. 54] 



before Sections C, U, and H, and several of the Sections 

 have adjourned in the afternoons to the Museum for 

 special demonstrations. 



On Saturday, notwithstanding the unsettled weather, 

 all the excursions arranged were successfully carried out, 

 including the dredging expedition in the Lancashire Sea 

 Fisheries steamer, in which a number of the foreigners 

 took part. The applications for the Thursday excursions 

 are sufficiently numerous. The Isle of Man seems to be 

 the favourite one, and as this is to be an expedition of 

 considerable scientific interest, with a carefully-arranged 

 programme, including nearly all the objects worthy of 

 special attention in the island, afurther report on the results 

 of the excursion will be given in a future number of 



N.VTURE. 



On Association Sunday, the usual arrangements were 

 made, and several selected preachers dealt with the 

 inter-relations of religion and science and other subjects 

 which were supposed to be appropriate to the occasion. 

 .Amongst those who preached were Dean Farrar, Mr. 

 Lund, Canon Diggle, Dr. Klein, and Prof Ryle, of 

 Cambridge. Many of the members of the Association 

 seemed to prefer short trips in the neighbourhood of 

 Liverpool, or to take advantage of the pleasant hospitality 

 that was oftered by some of the owners of large houses 

 and gardens in the afternoon and evening. 



At the meetings of the General Committee, severaS 

 important matters have been decided. The date of the 

 commencement of the meeting at Toronto next year has 

 been fixed for August 18. The President-elect is Sir 

 [ohn Evans, K.C.B. The list of vice-Presidents and 

 the local officers have also been fixed upon. 



The Secretary of the Toronto Committee made a 

 preliminary statement as to the facilities offered by 

 the great steam ship companies in crossing the 

 .Atlantic, and the Committee have already distributed 

 to members of the .Association a most attractive pre- 

 liminary programme in the form of a richly-illustrated 

 pamphlet of seventy pages. Further details in regard to 

 the arrangements for crossing the Atlantic, and also for 

 travelling to America, are promised shortly. 



With regard to the meeting in iSgS, it seemed likely 

 at one time that there would be competition between 

 Glasgow and Bristol. A distinguished deputation from 

 each City Council attended this meeting ; but at the last 

 moment the Lord Provost of Glasgow gracefully with- 

 drew his claim in favour of Bristol, which had already 

 made considerable preparations, and had been first in 

 the field ; consequently Bristol, on the motion of Sir. F. 

 Bramwell, seconded by Prof Ramsay, was unanimously- 

 fixed upon as the place of meeting for 1898. It was 

 further resolved that the meeting in iSgg be held at 

 Dover, in conjunction with the meeting of the French 

 .Association at Boulogne, on the other side of the Channel. 



.At the meetings of the Committee of Recommendations, 

 the following Committees of the Association with grants 

 of money were reappointed : — 



Synopsis of Grants of Money appropriated to Scientific 

 Purposes by the General Committee at the Liverpool 

 Meeting, September, 1896. The names of the Members 

 entitled to call on the General Treasurer for the 

 respecti^'c Grants are prefixed. 



Mnlheinatics and Physiis. 

 "Foster, Prof Carey.— Electrical Standards (and un- 

 expended balance) ... ... ■■■ .•• ■■■ £5 



*Symons, Mr. G. J.— Photographs of Meteorological 



Phenomena ... ... •. ... ... ■■■ 1° 



*Kayleigh, Lord. — Mathematical Tables 25 



*Symons, Mr. G. J. — Seismological Observations ... too 



*Atkinson, Dr. E.— Abstracts of Physical Papers ... 100 



*narley. Rev. R. — Calculation of certain Integrals (partly 



renewed) ... ... ... ... •■. ■• ■• 20 



"Stokes, Sir G. G.— Solar Radiation 10 



*Shaw, Mr. W. N.— Electrolysis and Electro-Chemistry... 50 



