Avuaust 6, 1897. ] 
the suggestion of the delegates, to the 
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 
and asked for his views as to the propriety 
and feasibility of the work in question 
being undertaken by the Smithsonian In- 
stitution, and as to the probable cost, with 
a view to the departments taking the nec- 
essary action. A reply was forwarded to 
the Secretary of State and these documents 
transmitted by him to the Senate and 
House of Representatives. This was done 
on December 17, 1896.* Naturally enough 
no result has been reached. No money 
will be required until the year 1899-1900. 
But, in accordance with the terms of one 
of the articles, it is necessary that the 
countries which intend to adhere to the 
scheme should make their intention known 
before 1898. It is, therefore, most desi- 
rable that the first regular session of the 
55th Congress should place itself on rec- 
ord as pledging the government of the 
United States to adhere to this plan, than 
which none has ever been proposed better 
calculated to promote the interest of 
science. 
I cannot conclude without expressing my 
gratification, which I feel sure all your 
readers will share, in the honorable part 
taken by the United States in initiating this 
enterprise. It is but due to Dr. Billings 
and Professor Newcomb to recognize the 
great usefulness of their presence in aiding 
in the deliberations. Dr. Billings’s long ex- 
perience in bibliographical work gave his 
numerous recommendations great weight 
and they were uniformly adopted. The 
honor of American science demands that 
this country shall do its share toward 
bringing the proposed International Cata- 
logue of Scientific Literature to a successful 
issue. 
Cyrus ADLER. 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 
* The documents are appended. 
SCIENCE. 
197 
APPENDIX. 
The following is a selection from the resolutions 
agreed to : 
4, That each delegate shall have a vote in deciding 
all questions brought before the Conference. 
5. That English, French and German shall be the 
official languages of the Conference, but that it shall 
be open for any delegates to address the Conference in 
any other language, provided that he supplies for the 
proces verbal of the Conference a written translation 
of his remarks into one or other of the official lan- 
guages. 
6. General Ferrero moved that Sir John E. Gorst 
be the President of the Conference. The motion hav- 
ing been unanimously accepted, 
7. Sir John Gorst nominated as Vice-Presidents : 
General Ferrero, Professor Darboux, Professor Mach, 
Professor Mobius, Professor Newcomb. It was further 
resolved : 
8. That Professor Armstrong be the Secretary for 
the English Language ; that Professor Forel be the 
Secretary for the French language; that Professor 
Dyck be the Secretary for the German language. 
9. That the Secretaries, with the help of shorthand 
reporters, be responsible for the proces verbal of the 
proceedings of the Conference in their respective lan- 
guages. 
12. That it is desirable to compile and publish by 
means of some international organization a complete 
Catalogue of Scientific Literature, arranged according 
to both subject-matter and to authors’ names. 
13. That in preparing such a catalogue regard 
shall, in the first instance, be had to the require- 
ments of scientific investigators, to the end that these 
may, by means of the catalogue, find out most easily 
what has been published concerning any particular 
subject of inquiry. 
14. That the administration of such a catalogue be 
entrusted to a representative body, hereinafter called 
the International Council, the members of which 
shall be chosen as hereinafter provided. 
15. That the final editing and the publication of 
the catalogue be entrusted to an organization, herein- 
after called the Central International Bureau, under 
the direction of the International Council. 
16. That any country which shall declare its will- 
ingness to undertake the task shall be entrusted 
with the duty of collecting, provisionally classifying, 
and transmitting to the Central Bureau, in accord- 
ance with rules laid down by the International Coun- 
cil, all the entries belonging to the scientific litera- 
ture of that country. 
17. That in indexing according to subject-matter 
' regard shall be had, not only to the title (of a paper 
or book), but also to the nature of the contents. 
