28 REPORT— 1897. 



willing to federate with some of the other Local Societies, and found a desire 

 for affiliation, but a difficulty in carrying it out, many Societies thinking 

 that they would lose more or less of their identity in union. He thought 

 that economy might be effected by original papers being published in 

 journals specially devoted to the branch of science of which they treat, 

 the Local Societies only publishing accounts of their meetings and 

 excursions which would be of interest to all their members. 



Mr. W. D. Spanton, while deprecating actual federation, was in favour 

 of joint meetings of the Societies in his district — North Staffordshire. 



Mr. R. E. Dodge (New York) mentioned the Scientific Alliance of 

 New York as having accomplished something by union, the announce- 

 ment of meetings being satisfactorily made in the Bulletin of the Alliance, 

 and the libraries of the different Societies being kept together in one 

 building. At Washington the Joint Commission, on which all the Govern- 

 ment scientists are represented, was formed on similar lines. 



Dr. Henry M. Ami (Ottawa) said that this question had also arisen in 

 Canada. For two years they had been attempting to bring about the 

 union of the Ottawa Literary Society and the Ottawa Field Naturalists' 

 Club. This club was wasting energy by the publication in the ' Ottawa 

 Naturalist ' of non-scientific matter which crowded out scientific papers. 

 There was a movement on foot in Canada to form a Canadian Academy 

 of Science, in which geology, botany, zoology, and microscopy would be 

 represented. 



Mr. Hopkinson said that there were various ways in which federation 

 could be carried out, which he might roughly group under three heads — 

 amalgamation, union, and co-operation with representation. He instanced 

 the Caradoc and Severn Valley Field Club as a good example of the 

 benefit of amalgamation, a strong field club doing good local work, and 

 publishing the results, having been formed by the coalition of two Societies 

 which were struggling for existence. The advantages of union without 

 amalgamation were well illustrated by the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, 

 each Society composing it being quite independent, but meeting together 

 at an annual congress in different Yorkshire towns. Amongst its mem- 

 bers were several Yorkshiremen, like himself not now residing in the 

 county nor being members of any of the affiliated Societies. The publi- 

 cations of the Union were devoted to the meteorology, geology, botany, 

 and zoology of Yorkshire. Under the third heading might be cited the 

 present Conference, or such Societies represented as were co-operating 

 with Committees of Research of the British Association ; while there were 

 several intermediate links between the three grades of union. Federa- 

 tion, therefore, did not imply sacrifice of individuality. 



Section C. 



Mr. G. W. Lamplugh called attention to the appointment of a Com- 

 mittee of this Section for obtaining a collection of Canadian Geological 

 Photographs, on the same lines as the British Committee. 



