Notices of Memoirs — British Association. 371 



NOTICES OF nULZEDVLOIIRS. 



I. — British Association for the Advancement op Science. 

 London, July 6, 1917. 



Addkess to the Conference oe Delegates. By John Hopkinson, 

 F.L.S., F.G.S., F.Z.S., Assoc. Inst. C.E., President. 



The Work mid Aims of our Corresponding Societies. 



IT is nearly forty years since I suggested that the Delegates from 

 provincial societies should hold a Conference at each meeting 

 of the British Association, subsequently arranging for the first 

 Conference to be held at Swansea in 1880. Although sanctioned 

 by the Council of the Association it was not an official Conference, 

 being the first of five managed and supported financially by the 

 Delegates only. Having then been in the chair I accept with 

 the greater satisfaction after so many years the honour conferred 

 upon me to preside at the present Conference. 



At the Conference held at Swansea in 1880 the following resolution 

 was passed: "That this Conference recommends that at future 

 meetings of the British Association the delegates from the various 

 scientific societies should meet with the view of promoting the best 

 interests of the Association and of the several societies represented." 

 "With this end in view it seems to me that Mr. Symons' address was 

 particularly appropriate, for it is surely in the best interests of the 

 Association as well as of its Corresponding Societies that concerted 

 systematic work should be done. 



The main object of our Societies is, or should be, to undertake local 

 scientific investigation, and we are here assembled chiefly to discuss 

 the best means of doing so and of obtaining the most valuable results. 

 "While all should work to the same end, that end, whatever it may 

 be, can best be achieved by all working in the same manner, or at 

 least on some definite plan, so that the results may be comparable. 



It is not, however, to stimulate and direct scientific investigation 

 only that this Conference should aim; there is also for it the wider 

 field of influencing public opinion on the importance of far greater 

 attention than at present being given to scientific education and 

 to many problems concerned with the future welfare of our nation in 

 which science may lend a fostering hand. There is no other country 

 in the world which has nearly so many scientific societies as we have. 

 There are on our list 120 Corresponding Societies (ninety Affiliated 

 and thirty Associated) with an aggregate membership exceeding 

 46,000, subject to a slight reduction, as some of these societies are 

 represented individually as well as by the Union to which they 

 belong, and some have members who are also members of other 

 societies on our list, but we may, I think, estimate the number 

 of individual members represented as not less than 45,000, while 

 Principal Griffiths, in his address at our Cambridge Conference, in 

 1904, estimated the total number of scientific societies in the 

 kingdom as about 500 with a membership approaching 100,000. 

 If we could all agree upon some beneficial project what an immense 

 influence we might have ! . . . 



