188 
done much more quickly. * * * The great 
object before us is to produce a catalogue 
available for use by scientific investigators 
throughout the world. It is not a mere 
bibliographical work that we are seeking to 
perfect.” 
An interesting discussion took place on 
the motion of Professor Michael Foster, 
“that each delegate should have a vote in 
the deciding of questions before the Confer- 
ence.” Professor Simon Newcomb stated 
that it was not inappropriate that he should 
second the resolution, inasmuch as the 
United States would apparently be among 
the nations placed at the greatest disad- 
vantage by this method of voting. Profes- 
sor G. Darboux, a member of the Institute 
of France, representing the French govern- 
ment, said that he had sought instructions 
upon this snbject, but had not received 
any; that in congresses of this sort votes 
were usually taken by nations and that if 
the other method was to have prevailed it 
should have been made known, so that more 
delegates could have been sent. General 
Ferrero, the Italian Ambassador at Lon- 
don, representing Italy, agreed that the ob- 
servations of Professor Darboux were most 
important. He added, however, that with 
regard to questions which really are mat- 
ters of science pure and simple it was 
the opinion of the delegates, not of nations, 
which was desired ; while questions which 
were without the realm of science could 
readily be left to the governments to settle. 
In the question of classification, for ex- 
ample, there was no question of national in- 
terest; it was a question of science pure 
and simple. 
Professor Mobius, representing Germany, 
said that the German delegates were sent 
by the German government or by learned 
societies to assist in the discussions, and to 
represent either the government or so- 
cieties in order that they might determine 
in what manner they should participate in 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Vou. VI. No. 136. 
the work. He held, therefore, that they 
should take part as individuals, which 
was agreed to by Professor Edmund Weiss, 
representing Austria. 
Professor Darboux accepted this explana- 
tion, remarking that the matter was 
cleared up in his mind that the meeting 
was not a diplomatic conference, but a 
congress of scholars charged to examine 
into the best methods of accomplishing a 
certain proposition, and that the final 
questions of finance and participation were 
to be referred to the respective govern- 
ments. The motion was then unanimously 
agreed to. 
Professor Armstrong moved ‘that it is 
desirable to compile and publish, by means 
of some international organization, a com- 
plete catalogue of scientific literature ar- 
ranged according both to authors’ names 
and to subject-matter.”’ This was adopted, 
with the last clause reversed, to read ‘ both 
to subject-matter and to authors’ names,” 
in accordance with the suggestion of Pro- 
fessor Forel, representing Switzerland. M. 
Otlet, one of the Belgian representatives, 
took the introduction of this resolution as 
the occasion for the presentation of a 
note on behalf of the Belgian delegates. 
This note was in the nature of a discussion 
of the entire subject of international biblio- 
graphical work, with special reference to 
the establishment of an office at Brussels 
some years previous. The introduction of 
this note occasioned some discussion with 
regard to the decimal system of classifica- 
tion. Opinions against its practicability 
were expressed by Professor Schwalbe, of 
Germany; Professor Heller, of Hungary; 
Professor Dziatzako, of Germany, and Pro- 
fessor Darboux. The discussion, however, 
was brought to a close by the Italian 
representative calling attention to the fact 
that it did not bear directly on the resolu- 
tion before the Congress. 
The next resolution which occasioned 
