REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. xllX 



Report of the Council for the Fear 1876-77, presented to the General 

 Committee at Plymouth on Wednesday, August 15th, 1877. 



The Council have received Eeports during the past year from the General 

 Treasurer, and his Account for the year will be laid before the General Com- 

 mittee this day. 



The following Eesolution was referred by the General Committee at 

 Glasgow to the Council for consideration, and for action, if it should seem 

 desirable : — 



" That the Council be requested to consider and take steps, if they think 

 it desirable, to urge upon Her Majesty's Government the advisability 

 of forming a Museum of Scientific Instruments and Chemical Products, 

 as suggested in the Memorial presented in June last to the Lord 

 President of Her Majesty's Council." 



The Council having considered this Eesolution, came to the conclusion that 

 while they believe that a Permanent Museum of Scientific Instruments might 

 be of great value, it is their opinion that the objects of the Memorial referred 

 to in the Eesolution submitted to the Council are, as a whole, neither so 

 clearly defined, nor so free from valid objections, as to justify the Council of 

 the British Association in supporting the proposals of the Memorial in its 

 present form. 



The attention of the Council having been drawn to the character of some 

 of the Sectional Proceedings at late Meetings of the Association, a Committee 

 was appointed to consider and report to the Council on the possibility of 

 excluding unscientific or otherwise unsuitable papers and discussions from 

 the Sectional Proceedings of the Association. 



The Committee recommended that papers which have been reported on 

 unfavourably by the Organizing Committees shall not be brought before the 

 Sectional Committees, and that, in the rules for conducting the business of 

 the Sectional Committees, the following rules should be inserted, viz. : — 



1. The President shall call on the Secretary to read the minutes of the 

 previous Meeting of the Committee. 



2. No paper shall be read until it has been formally accepted by the 

 Committee of the Section, and entered on the minutes accordingly. 



The Council propose that this alteration of rules shall be carried into effect. 



The Committee in their Eeport further considered that some of the 

 subjects brought before Section F could not be considered scientific in the 

 ordinary sense of that word, and that the question of the discontinuance of 

 Section F deserved the serious consideration of the Council. 



The Council have requested the Committee to report more fully the reasons 

 which had induced them to come to this conclusion, but the Committee have 

 not yet mado a further report. 



1877. d 



