238 NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES.
They endeavoured to get every member to do some definite work.
And they had found it necessary to discourage the offering of
hospitality at excursions, as it usually caused so much waste of time.
Mr. M. H. Mills, representing the Federated Institution of
Mining Engineers, then gave some particulars of that Institution.
He said that their Federation was one for publications only. Each
local society of mining engineers did its work independently ; but
the record of their work was to be found in one publication instead
of in several Mr. Montagu Browne, speaking for the Leicester
Literary and Philosophical Society, said that, as regards printing, each
section was usually self-supporting ; but that in the case of papers of
unusual interest and importance which needed illustration, the parent
society sometimes gave a grant if necessary. And Mr. Hindmarsh,
representing the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, remarked that
though the district of that club comprised not only Berwickshire, but
all Northumberland outside Newcastle-on-Tyne, yet the population
being much scattered, and there being no towns of any size in it, there
were no other Naturalists' Clubs with which they could unite. Prof.
Merivale thought it would be an excellent thing if the Natural
History Societies throughout the country would unite in order to
have but one publication, as the Mining Engineers had done with
regard to mining'; and Mr. de Rance thought nothing would be done
in the federation of local societies unless an organising secretary took
the initiative.
Prof. Johnson (Dublin) then gave some account of a Union of
four Clubs in Ireland. One of them is at Dublin, another at
Belfast, a third at Cork, and a fourth at Limerick. These form
the Irish Field Club Union, which has a yearly meeting in various
parts of the country. It has one publication, which is common
property, the "Irish Naturalist." In addition to lectures and ex-
cursions, etc, they were then at work forming a directory, so that in
a very short time anyone coming to Ireland will be able to learn who
are working at any special subject, and where they may be found.
As the British Association meets at Toronto next year, and
probably but few delegates will be there, it was resolved, after some
discussion, that a sub-committee of delegates should be formed for
the further consideration of Mr. Abbott's paper, and that this sub-
committee should sit between the first and second meetings of the
Conference, and report the result of their deliberations to the
second meeting.