Junk 9, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



801 



million slips and that most of their work 

 was proved bj' results which were here 

 being ignored. 



Dr. Adler reiterated it as his intention 

 that as far as possible, a uniform system of 

 registration be adopted. Chevalier Des- 

 camps proposed adding words to this effect, 

 asserting that classification was also a 

 science with its own laws. From this Dr. 

 Adler dissented, stating his view that 

 classification and notation were simply con- 

 venient tools for sciences. The resolution 

 was then unanimously agreed to, with the 

 modifications proposed, reading as follows : 



" That the registration symbols used in 

 the Catalogue be based on a convenient 

 combined system of letters, numbers or 

 other symbols adapted, in the case of each 

 branch of science, to its individual needs, 

 and in accordance, as far as possible, with a 

 general system of registration." 



The second proposition of Dr. Adler was 

 " That the authoritative decisions as to the 

 schedules be intrusted to an International 

 Committee, consisting of the following : 

 Professor Darboux, Professor Klein, Profes- 

 sor Weiss, Dr. S. P. Langley, Professor 

 Korteweg and Dr. Graf, together with three 

 representatives of the Royal Society ; that 

 the Committee be instructed to consult with 

 experts in each science and to frame within 

 six months a report, which shall be issued 

 by the Eoyal Society and incorporated in 

 the decisions of the Conference." 



Dr. Brunchorst agreed with the resolu- 

 tion in principle, but stated that the sciences 

 were not equally represented. 



Professor Darboux thought that the ques- 

 tion raised by this resolution was a central 

 one for the Conference. It was a jjity that 

 some practical step of this sort had not 

 been taken at the previous Conference re- 

 questing the states to form a sort of embryo 

 of Eegional Committees which might have 

 placed themselves in relation with the 

 _E,oyal Society. 



Professor Korteweg pointed out that the 

 resolution meant the nomination of a cen- 

 tral commission to control, as far as possible, 

 the different projects of classification. This 

 commission need not contain representa- 

 tives of all sciences, especially as it had the 

 authority to secure the aid of special com- 

 mittees. 



Professor Darboux thought it best that 

 the oflicial representatives at the Conference 

 should constitute the local or regional com- 

 mittees of classification. 



Dr. Bernoulli thought that the Conference 

 had approached its second important ques- 

 tion — that of organization. With regard 

 to the first question — that of classification 

 — he fully agreed with Dr. Darboux that it 

 should be settled by the specialist in each 

 branch of science for his own subject. The 

 central committee proposed by the repre- 

 sentative of the United States should have 

 to do only with notation. Switzerland, he 

 said, could not constitute a regional bureau 

 or committee. But to a central committee 

 of this sort he agreed, if it were made 

 representative of the libraries as well as 

 the sciences, and if the Director of the 

 Bibliographical Institute at Brussels were 

 included. 



Professor Klein desired to bring the Con- 

 ference back to the principal point as to 

 how the classification of the schedules was 

 to be made. It had been the intention to 

 hold a conference of scientific men in Berlin 

 for the purpose of arriving at some opinion, 

 but this had been delayed, though the idea 

 was not given up, and the plan of arriving 

 at opinions, at least so far as Germany was 

 concerned, seemed quite feasible to him. 



Professor Weiss thought the resolution 

 of the delegate from America quite agreed 

 with Professor Klein's idea. Professor 

 Rucker supported a resolution of this 

 nature. He thought that the next scheme 

 published should have some international 

 weight. 



