- 
MARCH 28, 1884.] 
and which I should have forwarded to the secretary 
of the American association as soon as the minutes 
had been confirmed, will, I hope, be regarded as a 
reply from our association. 
The kind invitation repeated in your letter shall be 
embodied in a circular which we are about to issue 
to our members. I fear that at present it will be im- 
possible for me to give you any idea of what number 
of our members will be able to avail themselves of 
the hospitality offered by your committee at Phila- 
delphia, because at present only the bare outlines of 
the proposed proceedings at Montreal and in Canada 
are before them. When the immediate pressure of 
the issue of this circular is over, I will do my best 
to find out. 
Very truly yours, 
T. G. BONNEY, secretary. 
Dr. P. FRAZER, secretary. 
The resolution mentioned reads, — 
**It was resolved to receive the standing committee 
and fellows of the American association on the foot- 
ing of honorary members at the Montreal meeting, 
and the secretary was instructed to give intimation 
of this resolution, as far as possible, to the persons 
eoncerned.”’ 
Another letter just received from Professor Bonney 
encloses two circulars, —one containing a reprint of 
the resolution above referred to, and an invitation to 
the person to whom it is sent to attend the meeting 
in Montreal; stating, that, on its presentation to the 
secretary on or after Aug. 25, a ticket of honorary 
membership will be received in exchange: the other 
circular is an admirable condensation of such infor- 
mation as the British member is likely toneed. Thus, 
the first two pages are devoted to the steamer-lines 
and the fares thereon; three pages are concerned with 
the railways; and it may be mentioned in this con- 
nection, that the Canadian government has promised 
to convey all British association members, associates, 
and their family parties, free of charge. The Canada 
Pacific and the Canada Atlantic offer them free ex- 
cursions, the former granting free passes up to the 
date of their special free excursion to the Rocky 
Mountains (for a hundred and fifty only). The re- 
maining pages give general information as to ‘ tick- 
ets,’ ‘local committees,’ ‘ general instructions,’ ‘ hotel 
rates,’ ‘telegraphs,’ and ‘cash.’ ‘The last page is a 
very convenient schedule, giving the various rail- 
ways, the points between which they run, the dis- 
tance in miles, and the rates in English and United 
States money. The passage which most interests the 
members of the American association is as follows: 
** A letter has been received from the representatives 
of the local committee at Philadelphia, cordially in- 
viting the members of the British association to 
attend this meeting and take part in its scientific 
proceedings, and offering to do the utmost in their 
power to make their visit at once pleasant and profit- 
able.”’ 
— From Nature we learn that the officers of the 
British association at the Montreal meeting will be 
as follows: president, Lord Rayleigh; vice-presidents, 
SCIENCE. 397 
the governor-general of Canada, Sir John Alexander 
Macdonald, Sir Lyon Playfair, Sir Alexander Tilloch 
Galt, Sir Charles Tupper, Sir Narcisse Dorion, Dr. 
Chauveau, Principal J. W. Dawson, Professor Ed- 
ward Frankland, W. H. Hingston, Thomas Sterry 
Hunt; general treasurer, Prof. A. W. Williamson; 
general secretaries, Capt. Douglas Galton, A. G. 
Vernon Harcourt; secretary, Prof. T. G. Bonney; 
local secretaries, L. E. Dawson, R. A. Ramsay, S. 
Rivard, S. C. Stevenson, Thomas White; local 
treasurer, F. Wolferstan Thomas. The sections are 
the following: — A, Mathematical and physical 
science: president, Sir William Thomson; vice- 
presidents, Prof. J. B. Cherriman, J. W. L. Glaisher; 
secretaries, Charles H. Carpmael, Prof. A. John- 
son, Prof. O. J. Lodge, D. MacAlister (recorder). 
B, Chemical science: president, Prof. H. E. Roscoe; 
vice-presidents, Professor Dewar, Prof. B. J. Har- 
rington; secretaries, Prof. P. Phillips Bedson (re- 
corder), H. B. Dixon, T. McFarlane, Prof. W. W. 
Pike. C, Geology: president, W. T. Blanford; vice- 
presidents, Professor Rupert Jones, A. R. C. Selwyn; 
secretaries, F. Adams, G. M. Dawson, W. Topley (re- 
corder), W. Whitaker. D, Biology: president, Prof. 
H. N. Moseley; vice-presidents, Dr. W. B. Carpen- 
ter, Prof. R. G. Lawson; secretaries, Prof. W. Osler, 
Howard Saunders (recorder), A. Sedgwick, Prof. R. 
Ramsay Wright. EB, Geography: vice-presidents, Col. 
Rhodes, P. L. Sclater; secretaries, R. Bell, Rev. 
Abbé Laflamme, E. G. Ravenstein, E. C. Rye (re- 
corder). F, Economic science and statistics: presi- 
dent, Sir R. Temple; vice-presidents, J. B. Martin, 
Prof. J. Clark Murray; secretaries, Prof. H. S. Fox- 
well, J. S. McLennan, Constantine Molloy (recorder), 
Prof. J. Watson. G, Mechanical science: president, 
Sir F. J. Bramwell; vice-presidents, Prof. H. T. 
Bovey, P. G. B. Westmacott; secretaries, A. T. 
Atchison, J. Kennedy, lL. Lesage, H. T. Wood (re- 
corder). H, Anthropology: president, Prof. E. B. 
Tylor; vice-presidents, Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, Pro- 
fessor Daniel Wilson; secretaries, G. W. Bloxam (re- 
corder), Rev. J. Campbell, Walter Hurst, J. M. P. 
Lemoine. 
It. is expected that the public lectures will be by 
Mr. Crookes, Dr. Dallinger, and Professor Ball. We 
are glad to see that Section A is following the good 
example set by Professor Lankester in biology last 
year. A circular signed by Sir William Thomson has 
been issued by the committee of Section A, inviting 
the co-operation of mathematicians and physicists, 
and requesting those willing to read papers and take 
part in the discussions to send their names to the 
secretaries of Section A, British association, Albe- 
marle Street, London. The following subjects have 
been selected for special discussion by the commit- 
tee: on Friday, Aug. 29, The seat of the electromo- 
tive forces in the voltaic cell; on Monday, Sept. 1, 
The connection of sun-spots with terrestrial phe 
nomena. 
— At the meeting of the Royal astronomical so- 
ciety, Nov. 9, Prof. S. P. Langley of Allegheny, 
Penn., Dr. J. A. C. Oudemans of Utrecht, Neth- 
erlands, Prof. P. Tacchini of Rome, and Dr. E. Weiss 
