CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 863 



for retention of their Societies on the list of Corresponding Societies, and 

 called upon the Delegates to note that the Committee had been obliged to 

 strike six Societies off the list in consequence of the neglect of their 

 Secretaries to make any return whatever, notwithstanding that they had 

 been repeatedly asked to do so. 



The manner of bringing the work of the Association in which the 

 Corresponding Societies were invited to take part before the Societies left 

 much to be desired. While some of the Delegates and Secretaries took 

 much trouble to bring the matter before their Societies, others were very 

 lax ; seven out of forty Delegates at last year's Conference had failed to 

 make any report to their Societies, and only fifty-one out of sixty-eight 

 Societies had any communication made to them on the subject. The kind 

 of communication made by some of these Delegates was not what it should 

 be. For instance, the report of one Delegate, taken haphazard, was not 

 made till one month before the return of the work done by the Society 

 during the year had to be sent in to the Association. The report sub- 

 mitted to the Society at that late period was so highly unsatisfactory 

 that he read it to show what a report should not be like. He observed 

 that not one of the subjects suggested for investigation by Corresponding 

 Societies is mentioned in this report, nor is there a word in it regarding 

 the contents of the printed report of the Conference sent to the Delegate 

 and to the Society he represented. 



Since the Report to the Council was made, the Corresponding Societies 

 Committee have received replies from the Secretaries of the various Com- 

 mittees of the Association and others mentioned in the list as desirous 

 of obtaining the co-operation of Corresponding Societies, to whom the 

 following letter was issued at as late a date before the meeting as 

 possible, so that every Society which had done or attempted to do any 

 •work might be credited with it : — 



British Association for the Advancement of Science, 



Burlington House. London, W., 



August 6, 1902. 



Dear Sir,— I shall be greatly obliged by your kindly answering the 

 following questions, which are asked with a view to ascertain what has 

 been done by Corresponding Societies of this Association since the meet- 

 ing last year at Glasgow with respect to 



in which their co-operation was requested : — 



1. Name the Societies from which your Committee have received 



assistance in your investigations or work, by local observations 

 or otherwise, made by committees or individual members of 

 those Societies. 



2. Name the Societies on behalf of which appUcation has been made 



to you or to" any member of your Committee for particulars 

 reo-arding your investigations, and as to how they could assist 

 therein, but from whom you have not yet received any results. 



An early reply will oblige, to enable my Committee to complete its 



Report for the Belfast meeting. 



I am, yours faithfully, 



J. G. Garson, 



Secretary 



