AuGust 6, 1897.] 
of the Conference, the so-called Acta and 
a verbatim report of the proceedings issued 
by the Royal Society, as well as informa- 
tion derived from the United States dele- 
gates, and the official correspondence of 
the Smithsonian Institution. 
Before taking up the Conference itself, 
it might be well to consider briefly the 
history of the movement toward an inter- 
national catalogue of scientific works. It 
is nosmall satisfaction to us that the incen- 
tive to this work came from America. 
Professor Joseph Henry first conceived a 
plan for a scientific bibliography in 1854, 
and when he sought the cooperation of 
the British Association for the Advance- 
ment of Science, the subject was referred 
to a committee consisting of Fellows of 
the Royal Society who approved the sug- 
gestion. Ten years later the Royal So- 
ciety aided by government grant under- 
took the publication of a catalogue of 
scientific papers since 1800, 11 volumes 
of which have now appeared. In the 
preface to the first volume we read: “The 
present undertaking may be said to have 
originated in a communication from Dr. 
Joseph Henry, Secretary of the Smithso- 
nian Institution, to the meeting of the 
British Association at Glasgow in 1855, 
suggesting the formation of a catalogue of 
philosophical memoirs.’”* 
*“ 4 communication from Professor Henry, of 
Washington, having been read, containing a proposal 
for the publication of a Catalogue of Philosophical 
Memoirs scattered throughout the Transactions of 
Societies in Europe and America, with the offer of 
cooperation on the part of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion, to the extent of preparing and publishing, in 
accordance with the general plan which might be 
adopted by the British Association, a Catalogue of all 
the American Memoirs on Physical Science, the Com- 
mittee approve of the suggestion and recommend 
that Mr. Cayley, Mr. Grant and Professor Stokes, be 
appointed a committee to consider the best system of 
arrangement, and to report thereon to the Council.’’ 
(Rept. of the 25th meeting of the British Association 
for the Advancement of Science, held at Glasgow in 
September, 1855, p. LX VI.) 
SCIENCE. 
185 
In March, 1894, the Royal Society issued 
a circular to learned societies throughout 
the world, which called attention to the 
fact that the catalogue of scientific papers 
was limited to periodical scientific litera- 
ture, taking no account of monographs and 
independent books and that titles were ar- 
ranged solely by authors’ names. Further, 
that the catalogue was confessedly incom- 
plete. The development of scientific litera- 
ture had been so great and the need for a 
subject catalogue so apparent that the 
President and Council of the Royal So- 
ciety appointed a committee ‘‘to inquire 
into and report upon the feasibility of such 
a Catalogue being compiled through Inter- 
national Cooperation.” A circular embody- 
ing these statements was sent to learned 
societies in correspondence with the Royal 
Society and elicited very general and favor- 
able response. At the same time the fol- 
lowing letter was addressed to the Smith- 
sonian Institution : 
“My Dear Proressor Lanetey: The 
Smithsonian Institution is, on historical 
grounds, so closely connected with the ef- 
forts of the Royal Society in cataloguing 
scientific papers that I am directed to add 
to the circular letter herewith sent, a few 
words expressing the hope of the Commit- 
tee of the Royal Society which has the mat- 
ter in hand that they may have, in a 
special way, the assistance of your valuable 
body in coming to a decision on so impor- 
tant a question. Believe me, yours very 
truly, 
[Signed] M. Foster, 
Sag, Jie SEY” 
“This index of all the physical papers in the 
transactions of learned societies and in the scientific 
periodicals resulted from a letter addressed to the 
British Association in 1855, by the Secretary of this 
Institution, setting forth the advantages to science 
of such a work. The matter was referred to a com- 
mittee of the Association, reported favorably upon, 
and recommended for execution to the Royal Society.”’ 
(Smithsonian Report for 1867, p. 58.) 
