ON SCIKNCE-LECTURES AND ORGANIZATION. 509 



Report of Subcommittee C on Scientific Organization as regards Local 

 Societies. (Sir Walter Elliot, Secretary.) 



The Subcommittee have given their best consideration to the instructioua 

 of the Committee, to report as to a plan for the systematic publication of the 

 proceedings of local societies, with reference to the suggestion adopted at the 

 Meeting held at Brighton, viz. to incorporate in an annual volume such 

 papers as the societies considered worthy of reproduction, by means of a given 

 number of additional copies struck off for the purpose. It was further 

 added that the responsibility of selecting and publishing such papers as were 

 offered should not be undertaken by the Association. 



The chief difficulty to the elaboration of any such scheme is the financial 

 one. It has been found that none of the Provincial Societies are in a posi- 

 tion to contribute towards the cost, either of editing and publishing such 

 papers, or even of furnishing additional copies printed of a uniform size, 

 especially where, as often happens, they are accompanied by plates. It is 

 also found that the local publications are so irregular in appearing, that it 

 would be no easy matter to get a sufficient number together, to allow of their 

 being brought out in a volume simultaneously. Moreover some of the lead- 

 ing societies, especially those of which the Transactions have attained some 

 celebrity, object to the proposal, as tending to detract from the value of their 

 own publications. 



Besides the plan specially referred to them, the Subcommittee have con- 

 sidered other suggestions ; for example, the issue of a quarterly or monthly 

 magazine, containing the best papers of the various learned societies, not con- 

 fined to those of the provinces, with the titles of the rest, and a brief outline of 

 the proceedings of each. But this appears to go beyond the scope of the 

 Subcommittee's deliberations, and to belong rather to an independent pub- 

 lishing speculation. 



The Subcommittee, however, consider that a Handbook or List of Societies 

 might be prepared annually, showing the names and addresses of the office- 

 bearers of each, the day and place of meeting, and a list of the articles printed 

 during the past year. 



It is believed that by this means a closer intercourse would be induced ; 

 persons engaged in particular subjects of inquiry would be directed to sources 

 of information bearing on their own investigations, and those engaged in 

 similar pursuits would be led to assist each other. 



An intercourse so commenced will, it may be hoped, lead to more intimate 

 relations, and so bring about that larger cooperation and union which it is 

 the object of the Committee to promote. 



The Subcommittee beUeve that a Handbook of this description might be 

 produced at a moderate cost. From the general approval of some plan of 

 cooperation by the greater number of Provincial Societies, it is believed that 

 they would readily purchase such an annual, the moderate cost of which would 

 cover a part of the expenditure ; and it is recommended that the Committee 

 should apply to the Council for a small grant to cover the remainder. 



At the Brighton Meeting, it was intimated by a member for the Society 

 for Promoting Useful Knowledge, that if the Society resumed their publica- 

 tions they would probably aid in bringing out such a work. 



H. E. RoscoE, Secretary to the Committee. 



