482 
Report on Scientific Societies . 
[August, 
tions, although more narrow in the circle they embrace 
enjoy upon the whole a greater popularity and show more 
signs of activity. Still, although at times lively, their meet- 
ings produce in the end nothing, or scarcely anything, but 
papers, the publication of which is the only observable sign 
of their existence. To this latter subject, however, I pro- 
pose to revert again when I shall come to discuss the state 
of scientific literature. , 
The British Association is in part like to the Royal 
Society from the number of sciences it embraces, but in part 
also it is similar to the other scientific societies, admitting, 
as it does, all and any persons who are willing to pay. # 
It also resembles the Provincial Societies concerning 
which nothing in particular need be said from its holding 
its Sessions in provincial towns; and in sowing thus broad- 
cast the seeds of Science all over the country may be said 
to consist of the principal service rendered by the British 
Association. For as regards its reports and grants, the 
same remarks might be applied that I have made above ; 
and as for the Observatory kept at the Association s expense 
at Kew, it is not clear to me for what reasons its objects 
could not be attained at Greenwich as well. 
The defeats I have noticed in the working of the scien- 
tific societies arise, in my opinion, from the want of a proper 
organisation of each, and the absence of any co-operation 
among themselves. As a remedy, I propose that some kind 
of connexion should be established between the several 
societies and the Royal Society, on the footing of the affili- 
ation that subsists between the colleges and the university. 
Every chartered society should be represented on the coun- 
cil of the Royal Society, which would thus become a kind 
of metropolitan board of science in permanency. In the 
same way the London and the provincial societies should be 
represented by delegates on the council of the British 
Association, which, thus constituted, might be considered as 
a kind of national synod of science, holding an annual 
session of short duration. I do not propose this organisa- 
tion, of course, for its own sake, but as a means to several 
ends, the nature of which I shall explain in subsequent 
letters. For the present it will be sufficient for me to ob- 
serve that the scheme I propose will scarcely require any 
change, although it implies considerable innovation ; and I 
apprehend there will be little difficulty in carrying it out, if 
once it be recognised as useful, from the fadt that both the 
Royal Society and the British Association contain already 
the greater number of the more influential members of the 
