REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, Ere, 
Seismological Investigations.—Twenty-third Report of the Com- 
mittee, consisting of Professor H. H. Turner (Chairman), 
Mr. J. J. Suaw (Secretary), Mr. C. Vernon Boys, Dr. J. E. 
Crompiz, Mr. Horace Darwin, Dr. C. Davison, Sir F. W. 
Dyson, Sir R. T. Guazeprook, Professors C. G. Knorr and 
H. Lame, Sir J. Larmor, Professors A. E. H. Love, H. M. 
Macponaup, J. Perry, and H. C. Puummer, Mr. W. E. 
Puummer, Professors R. A. Sampson and A. Scnuster, Sir 
Narrer Saaw, Dr. G. T. Wauker, and Dr. G. W. Wauker, 
-General. 
Owi1ne to the cancelling of the Cardiff meeting proposed for 1918 and 
to other reasons connected with the war, the present Report is made brief. 
Tt has been drawn up by the Chairman. 
The Committee asks to be reappointed with a grant of 100I. (including 
printing), in addition to 1001. from the Caird Fund already voted. The 
grant was formerly 601., with 701. for printing ; 130. in all; but during 
the war it has been reduced to 100I., partly to meet the need for economy, 
partly because the printing has necessarily been less. The Government 
Grant Fund administered by the Royal Society has voted a subsidy of 
2001. for 1918 as in recent years. With the above modification the budget 
remains practically the same as given in the Twentieth Report. 
Owing to business reasons connected with the war, Mr. J. H. Burgess 
found it necessary to leave the Isle of Wight at the end of March, 1918. 
For half a dozen years he had devoted a considerable portion of his time 
(nominally one-half, but this was often exceeded in his enthusiasm for 
seismology) to the work at Shide. The Committee is greatly indebted 
to him for his prompt and valuable help when the sudden death of John 
Milne in 1913 left them in face of a threatened break inthe work. Thanks 
to the special Inowledge Mr. Burgess had acquired in working with Pro- 
fessor Milne, discontinuity was avoided, and whatever changes are found 
necessary in the future can be made with full consideration. 
Mr. S. W. Pring remains at Shide for the present, though it is impossible 
to predict the length of his stay under present war conditions, which 
have already somewhat reduced the time he is able to devote (chiefly in 
the evenings) to seismology. His knowledge of Russian, which originally 
brought him into contact with Professor Milne, has been an important 
asset throughout, and has recently proved specially valuable in supplying 
translations of papers otherwise inaccessible. 
The routine work generally is now in the hands of Miss Caws, who 
had been trained in it by Mr. Burgess. As a safeguard against her illness, 
and to enable her to take an occasional holiday, Miss E. F’. Bellamy, of 
