352 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 767 



rapid development of western Canada. Its build- 

 ings, its public improvements and its institutions 

 represent our efforts to meet the needs that are 

 growing from hour to hour. In these respects we 

 trust that Winnipeg may prove of interest to 

 you." 



The sectional meetings opened on Thursday 

 morning and continued until the programs were 

 completed with the exception that all of Saturday 

 was devoted to excursions to various points of 

 interest. By means of the many joint meetings 

 and the numerous excursions, the members of the 

 various sections were brought into closer contact 

 and this contact between the scientists represent- 

 ing various fields of knowledge is one of the most 

 important features of the Associations for the 

 Advancement of Science. Perhaps the most im- 

 portant factor to promote such contact at the 

 Winnipeg meeting was the excursion to the Pacific 

 coast for which the western provinces and cities 

 provided the financial support. 



A feature which aroused considerable comment 

 on the part of the members from the United 

 States and even of those from England was the 

 great strength of Section A. Not only did this 

 section have an imposing program, but the in- 

 terest at its meetings and the large number of 

 distinguished scientists who participated in its 

 discussions were most gratifying evidences of the 

 vigor and health of the section. It would be of 

 interest to inquire to what extent the meetings 

 of the British Association are responsible for the 

 long line of distinguished mathematical physicists 

 who adorn British scholarship; and also to in- 

 quire to what extent the separation of mathe- 

 matics and physics in the American Association 

 has contributed to our lamentable and disgraceful 

 lack of such physicists. The fact that the presi- 

 dent of the association is a member of this section 

 contributed to the interest in its meetings. For 

 the consideration of the more technical papers the 

 section met in subsections and even with this 

 arrangement the meetings extended through Sep- 

 tember 1. 



The organization of a subsection devoted to 

 agriculture was a special feature of this meeting, 

 but its success inspired the hope on the part of 

 those especially interested that it might become 

 a permanent feature of the association. It seemed 

 especially appropriate that such a subsection 

 should be inaugurated at the Winnipeg meeting in 

 view of the special interests of this country. This 

 was only one of many ways in which the associa- 

 tion made direct returns for the great liberality 

 exhibited by Canada in general and by Winnipeg 



in particular, in providing for the entertainment 

 of their distinguished guests. Another direct 

 return was the arousing of interest in the Uni- 

 versity of Manitoba and its needs for better equip- 

 ment. The facilities for higher education, espe- 

 cially the library facilities for specialists, have 

 not been developed as rapidly as the rich material 

 advances might lead one to expect. It seems prob- 

 able that the most important local result of this 

 meeting will be a more rapid development of the 

 provincial university and a deeper appreciation of 

 the importance of research. 



While the total attendance of members and 

 associates, about fourteen hundred, was only 

 about half of the maximum number, yet the meet- 

 ing was a little larger than the one held at 

 Toronto and the ratio of noted scientists was 

 unusually large. About one hundred and fifty of 

 the members and associates came from the United 

 States, and about five hundred from Europe. 



Notwithstanding the fact that Winnipeg has 

 over one hundred and twenty thousand inhabit- 

 ants, the daily papers devoted much space to the 

 reports of the meeting and their reports were 

 favorable and unusually reliable. The Manitoba 

 Free Press on September 1 said on the editor's 

 page, " To-day's sessions bring to a close the most 

 important meeting ever assembled in Winnipeg." 

 The city was beautifully illuminated every night 

 and the front of the City Hall had an arrangement 

 of lights forming, in large letters, the words 

 " Welcome British Association." Directions for 

 finding the various meeting places were posted in 

 the most conspicuous places throughout the city 

 and the little boy who wrote on one of these 

 posters " big guns only " may have given clear 

 expression to the prevailing view. At any rate 

 the attention and favors shown by the inhabitants 

 of Winnipeg to the members of the association 

 might imply such a view and the arrangements 

 for the comfort of the members left nothing to be 

 desired. 



The next annual meeting of the association will 

 be held in Sheffield, England, from August 31 to 

 September 7, 1910, under the presidency of Rev. 

 T. G. Bonney, D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S., emeritus pro- 

 fessor of geology. University College, London. 

 According to the established custom of the asso- 

 ciation the presidents and other officers of the 

 sections will be appointed by the council about 

 Christmas. The general treasurer. Professor John 

 Perry, F.R.S., and the general secretaries. Major 

 P. A. MacMahon, F.R.S., and Professor W. A. 

 Herdman, F.R.S., were reelected at this meeting. 



G. A. MlLEEB 



