May 9, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



695 



and was directed by a committee of the 

 British Association. The question of in- 

 struments also presented peculiar difficul- 

 ties, which it is hoped may soon be over- 

 come. 



As regards terrestrial magnetism, I have 

 only a few words to say. 



Through the magnificent efforts of the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington, we 

 are at last likely to have a satisfactory 

 magnetic survey of the world, but impor- 

 tant as the results obtained by Professor 

 Bauer in the Carnegie will prove to be, 

 they will have to be supplemented by sys- 

 tematic observations of the variations of 

 the magnetic forces at a number of fixed 

 stations. Many such stations are in exist- 

 ence, though they are very irregularly dis- 

 tributed over the surface of the earth. 



In this subject, almost more than in any 

 other, an international agreement on the 

 manner in which the records are to be 

 treated and published is essential, and it is 

 much to be regretted that the attempts that 

 have been made to reach such agreements 

 have not met with greater success. There 

 are, no doubt, peculiar difficulties due to 

 differences in the organization of the mag- 

 netic services. 



Methods have developed independently 

 in different countries, and there is a nat- 

 ural but regrettable reluctance to alter an 

 instrumental detail or a peculiarity in 

 treating the observation until the necessity 

 of the change has been demonstrated. But 

 that can never be done, because practically 

 all methods are equally good. What is 

 bad is that they differ. Almost any one 

 of these methods could be adopted with 

 advantage anywhere; so that a discussion 

 of which of the methods is better than the 

 other is futile. The first essential then is 

 that in every place on earth the same 

 methods should be adopted, because the 

 least difference in them may cause impor- 



tant errors in the deductions when they 

 come to be compared with each other. 



The only body which at present deals 

 systematically with the records of terres- 

 trial magnetism is a sub-committee of the 

 Meeting of Directors of Meteorological Ob- 

 servations. The Directors of Meteorolog- 

 ical Observations meeting at intervals have 

 appointed a certain number of sub-com- 

 mittees dealing with a certain number of 

 subjects. Some of these overlap other as- 

 sociations already. So that, for example, 

 the question of solar radiation falls partly 

 under that sub-committee of the directors 

 of meteorological observations and also 

 under the International Solar Union, a 

 union which has been founded by your 

 foreign secretary. Professor Hale. 



The present international organizations 

 differ considerably in the manner in which 

 their expenditure is provided for. The 

 International Geodetic Association, the 

 Association of Seismology and the Inter- 

 national Bureau of Standards are directly 

 supported by the governments, the con- 

 tributions depending upon the population 

 of each country and amounting, for the 

 larger ones to — I need not give you the 

 figures now. They are of no particular 

 interest. 



The "International Catalogue of Scien- 

 tific Literature" is a very costly under- 

 taking, and that is provided for by each 

 country guaranteeing the sale of a certain 

 number of copies; a capital fund having 

 been paid to start the organization by the 

 Eoyal Society of London. 



In the case of the great "Star Cata- 

 logue," each observatory is responsible for 

 its own expenditure. The four French 

 observatories have received government 

 contributions amounting together to over 

 $500,000. In England a much smaller sum 

 has been given, and in other countries the 



