CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES, 398 
Second Conference, August 23, 1904. 
Principal E. H. Griffiths, F.R.S., in the chair, followed by Dr. 
Tempest Anderson, B.Sc. 
The Corresponding Societies Committee was represented by Mr. W. 
Whitaker, Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing, Rev. J. O. Bevan, Mr. John 
Hopkinson, Dr. H. R. Mill, Mr. 'T. V. Holmes, and Mr. F. W. Rudler. 
Principal Griffiths, in opening the proceedings, said that he had 
ventured to take a certain kind of action of his own initiative since their 
last meeting, which he was going to ask the Conference to be good 
enough, if they thought fit, to confirm. He thought the remarks that 
were made on the proposal which he put before the Congress from the 
chair at the last meeting led to the conclusion that the Delegates would 
uphold, and were in sympathy with, the view that we ought to bring a 
larger number of our Societies into touch with the British Association, 
and that the union between the Society and the British Association 
should be a more real one than it is at present. The speaker ventured 
to translate the opinion of the meeting as that, and there was no voice to 
the contrary. On the other hand the question he put forward of the 
possibility of establishing a ‘Journal of Corresponding Societies’ was 
obviously one on which there were many differences of opinion ; but in 
any case, it must be remembered that the Conference could take no action 
without the Council of the Association. The Chairman thought it was 
inadvisable to put things off until next year, because it would be very 
difficult to get anything like the ordinary business done then, and unless 
he had submitted a recommendation to the Committee of Recommenda- 
tions before its meeting yesterday, all opportunity of doing anything 
would have been practically lost for the next two years. Therefore, on 
his own responsibility—and he stated at the time that it was on his own 
responsibility—he handed in a notice to go on the agenda paper of the 
Committee of Recommendations to the following effect :— 
‘That a Committee be appointed, consisting of members of the 
Council of the Association, together with representatives of the Corre- 
sponding Societies, to consider the present relation between the British 
Association and local Scientific Societies. 
‘That the Committee be empowered to make suggestions to the 
Council with a view to the greater utilisation of the connection between 
the Association and the affiliated Societies, and the extension of affiliation 
to other Societies which are at present excluded under Regulation JI.’ 
It would greatly strengthen his hands in the Committee to which he 
was then going if the Delegates would empower him to say that they 
supported the resolution. Of course it would commit the Delegates to 
nothing, because it was only asking for a committee to inquire into the 
whole matter, and unless this action were taken immediately nothing 
practically could be done for two years. He therefore asked the 
Delegates to intimate, unless they had any opposition to offer, by a show 
of hands that he had their authority to present this resolution. 
The resolution was carried unanimously and with applause. 
The Chairman then said that if this were agreed to by the Com- 
mittee of Recommendations it would be necessary for the Delegates to 
appoint representatives to meet the members of the Council in this 
