Septembeb 11, 1885.] 



SCIENCE. 



203 



which necessarily changes ownership on an average 

 three times a century; useful to people at large in 

 determining the relative salubrity of localities when 

 compared with the census returns; and especially 

 useful in preparing tables of annuities, and other 

 tables bearing on the duration of human life. On 

 the request of the committee, it was continued. 



The committee on stellar magnitudes reported that 

 the chairman of the committee, Prof. E. C. Picker- 

 ing, was to have sent an elaborate report with tables, 

 which had been considered in committee ; but prob- 

 ably, by some miscarriage, it had failed to reach the 

 general secretary. On recommendation of the stand- 

 ing committee, it was voted that the report should be 

 printed, and the committee continued. 



The committee to confer with committees of for- 

 eign associations for the advancement of science, 

 with reference to an international convention of sci- 

 ence associations, reported, through Dr. C. S. Minot, 

 as follows: — 



This committee reports that it has conducted an ex- 

 tensive correspondence, and made considerable prog- 

 ress. The question of an international convention 

 in London is now before the British association, and 

 dependent upon its action, which cannot be reached 

 before its meeting in Aberdeen. The committee 

 is not at liberty to publish the correspondence; but it 

 feels that much progress has been made, and it seems 

 not improbable that a meeting will be held in London 

 within a few years. Owing to the liberality of Mrs. 

 Elizabeth Thompson of Stamford, Conn., an endow- 

 ment has been secured, and twenty-five thousand 

 dollars placed in the hands of a board of trustees, 

 the income to be expended in the promotion of pure 

 science by the international convention when or- 

 ganized. For this, Mrs. Thompson deserves the 

 thanks of our association. A fuller account of this 

 will be found in Science for Aug. 28. In regard to 

 the gift of Mrs. Thompson, this sum of twenty-five 

 thousand dollars comes in five thousand dollars pre- 

 sented last year by Mrs. Thompson, and twenty thou- 

 sand dollars presented by her this last spring. The 

 two sums have been placed together: a board of 

 trustees has been organized, with Dr. H. B. Bow- 

 ditch of Boston as Chairman; and having for its 

 other members, Mr. William Minot as treasurer. 

 President F. A. Walker of the Massachusetts insti- 

 tute of technology. Prof. E. C. Pickering of the 

 Harvard observatory, and Dr. C. S. Minot as sec- 

 retary. Mrs. Thompson, seeing the international as- 

 sociation might not immediately come into existence, 

 and desiring to render her fund immediately avail- 

 able for the promotion of science, has very liber- 

 ally empowered the trustees to expend the income 

 in such manner as shall seem to them desirable, 

 until it shall be transferred to the board for which 

 it is ultimately designed. In consequence of this 

 liberality of Mrs. Thompson, we shall have at our 

 disposal a considerable sum, available this autumn, 

 which will be appropriated in some manner for 

 pure investigation or research of some kind yet 

 to be determined ; and the board of trustees will 

 make a public announcement of the m.anner in 



which appropriations may be made from this endow- 

 ment. I myself, continued Dr. Minot, regard this en- 

 dowment, from the very liberal terms in which it was 

 made, as one of exceptional value; and it seems to me 

 that this association should, in the most cordial man- 

 ner in its power, express to Mrs. Thompson its thanks 

 for her liberality to science. I have further to report, 

 on behalf of the standing committee, its recommenda- 

 tion that the report of this committee be accepted, and 

 the committee continued, and the name of the com- 

 mittee changed from its present very long title to the 

 'Committee on international scientific congress.' 

 The recommendation of the standing committee was 

 adopted, and the standing committee was directed 

 to prepare a suitable resolution of thanks to Mrs. 

 Thompson. 



The committee on the International congress of 

 geologists reported that two members of the com- 

 mittee would attend the coming congress in Berlin, 

 and a report should be expected at the next meeting 

 of the association. 



The committee in relation to duties on scientific 

 books reported progress, and requested that the 

 names of Professors Baird, Newcomb, and Menden- 

 hall should be added to the committee, and this was 

 done. 



The committee on the uniformity of graphic illus- 

 trations in representing facts of statistics, etc., re- 

 ported that the committee had been formed at the 

 instance of Mr. Francis B. Hough, since deceased. 

 The remaining members of the committee recom- 

 mended its discontinuance, as no one of them was 

 ready to undertake the charge of the work which Dr. 

 Hough had planned : the committee was discharged. 



The committee appointed at the last meeting of 

 the association upon the encouragement of researches 

 upon the health and diseases of plants, reported 

 through Mr. J. C. Arthur, that, considering that its 

 most important work was to secure the cooperation 

 of the department of agriculture at Washington, it 

 had urged upon the commissioner the establishment 

 of a bureau or division in that department for the 

 study of plant-diseases, especially those affecting 

 fungi ; and urged upon him, that, in the appointment 

 of an oflBcer to make such investigations, he should 

 select a man whose training had been such as to 

 enable him to call to his aid all the knowledge and 

 appliances of the best modern scientific methods. 

 In accordance with the recommendations of the 

 committee, the commissioner reported his hearty 

 sympathy with the objects of the committee, and 

 announced that he had appointed Mr. F. L. Scribner 

 of Girard college, Philadelphia, to take charge of 

 such work for the department. On the recom- 

 mendation of the standing committee, this committee 

 was reconstituted with the following members: J, C. 

 Arthur, C. E. Bessey, T, J. Burrill, W. G. Farlow, 

 and Charles Y. Kiley. 



Other committees reported progress, and were con- 

 tinued. Some of their reports were, by recommenda- 

 tion of the standing committee, read in the section to 

 which the subject appertained. One or two com- 

 mittees were discharged. 



