PROCEEDINGS, JULY. XXXV 



to be filled up for presentation at the railway stations when booking 

 for the journey. — Yours truly, W. L. Cleland, M.B., Hon. Sec." 

 A reply was sent, stating that the letter had been laid before the 

 Council, and would be laid before the next meeting of the Society. 



SCIENTIFIC FEDERATION'. 



A letter was read from the Premier, forwarding a letter from the 

 Agent-General, covering a communication received by him from the 

 High Commissioner for Canada, forwarding a letter written by 

 Sir Wm. Dawson, of Montreal, to Professor G. G. Stokes, President 

 of the Royal Society. The last document contained a proposal for a 

 union of British and English speaking geologists to lay a broad founda- 

 tion of geological fact, classification, nomenclature, and representation, 

 which would ultimately be adopted by other countries as far as local 

 diversities and differences of language might permit. 



Mr. T. Stephens looked upon the communication as one of special 

 interest directly to geological investigation, and, indirectly, to all 

 interested in scientific matters. An International Congress on the 

 subject had been held two or three years ago at Bologna, under the 

 presidency of the King of Italy, and an endeavour was made to 

 arrive at a common basis upon which geological maps and geological 

 terms might in future be employed. At present almost every 

 country had it^s own way of distinguishing difi'erent periods and 

 different geological formations on maps, a bright carmine in some 

 countries representing granitic formation, while in other countries 

 it might represent some sedimentary formation. The object of the 

 proposal he imagined was to establish some common agreement among 

 geologists all over the world to distinguish different formations. 

 Tasmania could not expect to contribute any important help or advice 

 in such a matter ; but he thought it desirable to assure Professor 

 Dawson of the hearty sympathy of Tasmania. 



The Bishop of Tasmania said he thought some tangible resolution 

 should be placed on the records, as he agreed with Mr. Stephens that 

 it was a very important communication. He looked upon it as tending 

 towards the millennium, for geology in the past had been the science of 

 choosing the best stones to throw at one another, and disputed theories 

 had been contended for with marked animosity. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston was very glad to find the importance of the 

 communication so readily recognised, seeing how very desirable it 

 was that some common plan should be adopted if it did not interfere 

 with practical work in regions where the systematic sub-divisions of one 

 country did not exactly agree with those of the other. Some parts of the 

 world had gone into details with such elaboration that it was practically 

 impossible for other parts to follow. In the greater divisions a common 

 plan of colouring might be advantageously adopted, but he felt that 

 as with Professors Hutton and Tait, Mr. Jack and others, difficulty 

 and confusion would arise if Australasia adopted the colours of other 

 parts of the world, so far as the minor divisions of systems were 

 concerned. Those who learned geology from books would not know 

 of the difficulty in the field if Australian geologists followed too closety 

 the sub-divisions of Europe. Still they might present their difficulties 

 and ask guidance and assistance how to come into greater harmony 

 with them, and in that respect efi"ect a great deal of good. He 

 did not agree with those who said " Do away with colours," simply 

 because they could not particularise ; for pioneer work must at first 

 be content with generic groupings, and finer lines of demarcation 

 would come afterwards. 



Mr. T. Stephens moved, — " That the Royal Society of Tasmania 

 cordially welcomes the proposal embodied in Sir Wm. Dawson's letter, 

 and requests the council to communicate to the proper quarter the 



