Capt. Douglas Galton, General Secretary, then read the annual report of
the council, which stated that since the meeting at Southport, Dr. F.
Lindemaun and Dr. Ernst Schroeder had been elected corresponding members
of the Association, and proceeded as follows:--"The present meeting of
the British Association, the fifty-fourth in number, is likely to be
long memorable in its annals, as the first held beyond the limits of the
United Kingdom. It marks a new point of departure, and one probably
never contemplated by the founders of the Association, although not
forbidden by the laws which they drew up. The experiment was doubtless a
hazardous one, but it seems likely to be justified by success, and it
may be hoped that the vigour and vitality gained by new experience may
ultimately compensate for the absence from this meeting of not a few
familiar faces among the older members; there will, however, be as large
a gathering of members of more than one year's standing as is usual at a
successful meeting in Great Britain, and the efforts which have been
made by our hosts to facilitate the coming of members and render their
stay in Canada both pleasant and instructive, call for the warmest
acknowledgment. The inducements offered to undertake the journey were
indeed so great that the council felt that it would be necessary to
place some restriction upon the election of new members, which for many
years past, though not unchecked in theory, has been almost a matter of
course in practice. Obviously these offers of the Canadian hosts of the
British Association were made to its members, not to those on whom they
might operate as an inducement to be enrolled among its members. The
council, therefore, before the close of the Southport meeting, published
the following resolution:--"That after the termination of the present
month (September, 1883), until further notice, new members be only
elected by special resolution of the council." Applications for
admission under these terms were very numerous, and were carefully
sifted by the council. Still, although the council as time progressed
and the number augmented, increased the stringency of their
requirements, it became evident that the newly elected members would
soon assume an unduly large proportion to those of older standing, so
that on May 6th, after electing 130 members under this rule, it was
resolved to make no more elections until the commencement of the
Montreal meeting, when it would be safe to revert to the usual practice.
The details of the arrangements made for the journey have already been
communicated to the members, so that it is needless to make any further
special reference to them, but the council have to acknowledge the great
liberality of the associated cable companies in granting, under certain
restrictions, free ocean telegraphy to the members of the Association
during the meeting. The death of Sir William Siemens has deprived the
Association of one of its most earnest supporters and friends. It was
during his presidency at Southampton that the invitation to Montreal was
accepted, and he was appointed at Southport a vice-president for this
meeting. The council nominated Sir J. D. Hooker a vice-president, but
he was unfortunately obliged, for domestic reasons, to resign the
nomination in the early part of the summer. It has been the custom at
meetings of the Association to invite the attendance of distinguished
men of science from all parts of the world, but the council considered
that on the present occasion it would be well to offer a special welcome
to the American Association (of which also several eminent Canadian men
of science are members); they have accordingly issued an invitation to
the standing committee and fellows of that Association to attend the
meeting at Montreal on the footing of honorary members."
The Report then referred to the fact that the general treasurer had been
prevented from being present at the meeting, and that as the usual
assistant to the general treasurer could not also be present, they had
nominated Admiral Sir Erasmus Ommanney, C.B., F.R.S., as deputy
treasurer, and Mr. Harry Brown, assistant secretary of University
College, London, as financial officer. The Report proceeded to state
that the council had, after consideration, decided to form a separate
section of anthropology, and reported with reference to the resolution
referred to them by the general committee, "That application be made to
the Admiralty to institute a Physical and Biological Survey of Milford
Haven, and the adjacent coast of Pembrokeshire, on the plan followed by
the American Fisheries Commission." They had done so, and had been
informed by the Lords of H. M. Treasury, that they regretted to be
unable to institute such a survey, as the Admiralty had no vessels
available for this service. With regard to the Report of the Committee
of Section A respecting the suppression of four of the seven principal
observatories of the Meteorological Council, and to forward a copy of
the same to the Meteorological Council, they reported that arrangements
had been made, whereby three out of the four observatories relinquished
by the Meteorological Council would be continued, though on a somewhat
different footing. The council also reported that they had sent a
communication to the Executive Committee of the International Fisheries
Exhibition, urging upon that body the appropriation of a sufficient sum
out of the surplus funds remaining in their hands at the close of the
Exhibition, to found a laboratory on the British Coast for the study of
marine zoology; but there did not seem any prospect of such an
appropriation of the surplus funds. The Report then referred to the
Report of the Committee on local scientific societies, and detailed the
alterations which its adoption would make necessary in the rules,
stating that it was proposed to reserve the consideration of this
question by the general Committee for the meeting to be held in London
in November. The Report concluded as follows: "The vacancies in the
council to be declared at the General Committee Meeting in November will
be Lord Rayleigh, who has assumed the presidency, together with the
following who retire in the ordinary course: Mr. G. Darwin, Mr.
Hastings, Dr. Huggins and Dr. Burdon Sanderson, and the council will
recommend for re-election on that occasion the other ordinary members of
council, with the addition of the gentlemen whose names are
distinguished by an asterisk in the following list:--*Abney, Capt. R.
E., Adams, Professor W. G., *Ball, Professor B. S., Bateman, J. F. La
Trobe, Esq., Bramwell, Sir F. Dawkins, Professor W. Boyd, De La Rue, Dr.
Warren, Dewar, Professor J., Evans, Captain Sir F., Flower, Professor W.
H., Gladstone, Dr. J. H., Glaisher, J. W. L., Esq., Godwin-Austen,
Lieut-Col. H. H., Hawkshaw, J. Clarke, Esq., Henrici, Professor 0.,
Hughes, Professor T. McK., Jeffreys, Dr. J. Gwyn, *Moseley, Professor H.
N, *Ommaney, Admiral Sir E, Pengelly, W., Esq., Perkin, W. H., Esq.,
Prestwich, Professor, Sclater-Booth, The Right Hon. George, Sorby, Dr.
H. C., *Temple, Sir R." In accordance with the decision arrived at by
them at Southport, the General Committee will meet on Tuesday, 11th
November, at Three o'clock in the afternoon in the Theatre of the Royal
Institution, Albemarle Street, London, W., for the transaction of the
following business, viz:--To elect the president, officers and council
for 1884-85; to fix the date of meeting for 1885; to appoint the place
of meeting for 1886; and to consider the alteration of rules necessary
to give effect to the recommendation of the Committee on local
scientific societies.
On motion of the Chairman the Report was adopted.