SEPTEMBER 10, 1897. ] 
ments for transportation, ete., on behalf of 
Americans desiring to visit Toronto. The 
Detroit meeting was unexpectedly success- 
ful; it is true that the attendance was 
barely 300 and therefore below the average, 
but in number and quality of papers, in 
value of discussions, and in attendance at 
sectional meetings it ranked, in the judg- 
ment of most of the old-time members pres- 
ent (including four past-Presidents), as one 
of the best meetings in the history of the 
Association. The pleasure of the meeting 
was enhanced by exceptional local interest, 
displayed not only by the local committee 
but by the citizens generally, and also by 
the notably excellent press of Detroit; but 
a large measure of the pleasure, as well as 
the success, of the meeting must be as- 
cribed to the presence of so many promi- 
nent members of the British Association. 
In the opinion of o]d-time members, the 
Toronto meeting of the British Association 
was well above the average in number and 
quality of communications and in the dis- 
cussions, while the attendance (about 1360), 
though less than the average, was fully up 
to expectations. To this meeting American 
scientists, and particularly members of the 
American Association, contributed freely. 
This participation was encouraged by the 
older Association in making the general 
and sectional officers of the American As- 
sociation honorary members, and in plac- 
ing members of the American body on ex- 
actly the same footing as their own mem- 
bers, 7. ¢., admitting them to the privileges 
of the Association on payment of the cus- 
tomary membership fee. Some 250 Amer- 
ican scientists, including about a score of 
officers of the American Association, availed 
themselves of these privileges; of these 
something less than 100 went directly 
from Detroit, leaving fully 150 Americans, 
nearly all members of the American Asso- 
ciation, who chose Toronto rather than De- 
troit as a place for scientific association and 
SCIENCE. 
381 
discussion, thereby paying the highest pos- 
sible compliment to the older organization. 
They were made welcome in the Sections 
and general meetings ; many of them were 
placed on sectional committees (which are 
more important in the British body than 
in the American), and several of them 
were elected to vice-presidencies; they pre- 
sented numerous formal communications, 
joined freely in discussion, aided in admin- 
istration even to the extent of actually pre- 
siding in the absence of the sectional presi- 
dents, and contributed in due measure to- 
ward shaping the scientific character of the 
meeting. A noteworthy feature was the 
attention given in the Section of Geography 
to a series of papers prepared expressly for 
this meeting by representatives of our Na- 
tional Geographic Society. In the general 
meetings and public functions special atten- 
tion was shown to the American Associa- 
tion collectively as well as to the individual 
members; the officers were invited to occupy 
platform seats, and at the closing banquet 
two representatives of the American body 
were among the rather limited number of 
speakers. At this banquet, as on other 
occasions, the members of the two Associa- 
tions had the same footing; some officers of 
both were guests, the list including the 
general officers, Vice-Presidents, and past- 
Presidents of the American Association. 
In thus extending courtesies to the younger 
organization of similar aims, the British 
Association departed considerably from its 
traditions and its eminently conservative 
custom; and it cannot be doubted that the 
departure must be credited in the first 
place to the good offices of the local com- 
mittee, and in the second place to the ex- 
ceptionally large common membership, 
growing out of the fact that in Canada the 
fields of the two Associations overlap. 
The near conjunction of the two meetings 
in time and place has undoubtedly been 
most beneficial; it has extended individual 
