Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 60.djvu/330

Rh to consider the matters of larger policy which are so frequently brought before it.

It soon became evident that no satisfactory Standing Oidcis securing these advantages could be drawn up which would not be in some way or other inconsistent with the Statutes at present in operation. It was accordingly resolved to modify the Statutes; and this has been done by giving to certain Statutes a more general form than that in which they have for a long time appeared, so that such alterations of detail as may from time to time seem desirable may be effected by changes in the Standing Orders only, without interfering with the Statutes. I gladly avail myself of this opportunity of acknowledging the great help which the Council received from Mr. A. B. Kempe, in respect to the many legal points which arose in connection with the change of Statutes. A copy of the Statutes, as amended during the present session, as well as of the Standing Orders adopted, will be found in the Year-book, which has been instituted by one of the new Standing Orders, and which will be published each year, as soon after the Anniversary Meeting as possible.

The International Conference called to consider the desirability and possibility of compiling and publishing, by international cooperation, a Complete Catalogue of Scientific Literature, was duly held ; and the Society may be congratulated on the successful issue of a meeting, to the preparations for which a special International Catalogue Committee, appointed by, and acting under the authority of, the Council, had devoted much time and labour. The Conference met in the apartments of the Society on July 14, 15, 16, and 17, under the presidency of the Right Hon. Sir J. Gorst, Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, and wras attended by forty-one delegates, representing nearly all countries interested in science. The Society was represented by the Senior Secretary, Professor Armstrong’ (Chairman of the International Catalogue Committee), Mr. Norman Lockyer, Dr. L. Mond, and Professor Rucker. Pour other Fellows of the Society, Genei’al Strachey, Dr. D. Gill, Professor Liversidge, and Mr. R. Trimen were among the delegates appointed by the Indian and Colonial Governments.

The Conference resolved that it was desirable to compile and publish a catalogue of the nature suggested in the original circular issued by the Royal Society, the administration being carried out by a Central International Bureau, under the direction of an International Council, with an arrangement that each of such countries as were willing to do so, should, by some national organisation, collect and prepare for the Central Bureau all the entries belonging to the scientific literature of the country. It was further resolved that the language of the catalogue should be English, and a proposal that the Central Bureau should be placed in London was carried by