186 
The matter occasioned much discussion 
both in this country and abroad. The 
cireular was published in full in Scr=encr,* 
and there appeared in the same number 
a report of a committee of the Faculty of 
Harvard University to the University 
Council expressing its sympathy, making 
some suggestions and recommending that 
the corporation of Harvard University 
contribute a certain sum toward carrying 
out the enterprise. 
Professor Henry A. Todd,+ of Columbia 
University, made some suggestions in re- 
gard to a card catalogue of scientific 
literature with annotations. He proposed 
that the Smithsonian Institution should 
assume the leaderehip in America, and 
that publishers should be asked to co- 
operate. y 
Mr. W J McGeef{ discussed certain of 
the practical sides of the question, and 
announced that the Geological Society of 
America had concurred in the report of 
the Harvard University Council. The 
Franklin Institute, of Philadelphia, also 
expressed itself favorably.§ 
Doctor G. Brown Goode|| laid down a 
Most careful plan of operations. He held 
that the catalogue should be international 
in name and scope, should be exhaustive 
within its own limits, and that it should 
be published in book form, as a card cata- 
logue would, in his opinion, be too bulky. 
He also suggested a broad classification of 
science which, it may be said by way of 
anticipation, included economic science, 
mechanical science and engineering, phil- 
ology and institutional history, all of 
which were excluded by the Conference. 
Numerous other bodies responded favor- 
*N.S., Vol. I., pp. 182-184. 
t+ Screncx, N.S., Vol. I., p. 297. 
tScrzNcgE, N.S., Vol. I., p. 353. 
@The Library Journal, Vol. XX., p. 172. 
|| Scrpnon, N.S., Vol. I., p. 483 ‘Ideal Index of 
Scientific Literature.’ 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Vou. VI. No. 136. 
ably and many articles were written on 
the subject. , 
The next step in the matter was taken 
when the Royal Society issued a circular in 
August, 1895, containing a report made to 
the President and Council in July, 1895, 
by the Special Committee. This circular 
stated that more than one hundred replies 
had been made to the original circular and 
that in no single instance was any doubt 
expressed as to the value of the work pro- 
posed. The cordial letter of the Secretary 
of the Smithsonian Institution and the re- 
plies received from the United States were 
especially dwelt upon, and the holding of an 
international conference as a first step in 
the matter was recommended by many 
Societies. 
Accordingly, on August 15, 1895, the Sec- 
retary of the Royal Society addressed a 
letter to the Marquis of Salisbury, Premier 
and H. M. Minister for Foreign Affairs, in 
which he reviewed the matter and pointed 
out the advisability of a conference in Lon- 
don looking to international cooperation. 
He suggested that such a conference be 
called by the British government and that 
certain governments named should be in- 
vited. 
In pursuance of this suggestion, the De- 
partment of State at Washington (and 
it may be assumed that a similar course 
was followed with regard to other coun- 
tries) received from the British Ambassador, 
in October, 1895, a copy of the letter of 
the Royal Society, with the expression, 
on the part of Lord Salisbury, of the hope 
that the United States government would 
be represented at the conference. This 
matter was referred by the Secretary 
of State to the Secretary of the Smithsonian 
Institution, who recommended that the 
United States government should take part 
and suggested that Dr. John §. Billings and 
Professor Simon Newcomb should serve as 
delegates for the United States, a recommen- 
