When the decision was come to at Southampton to hold the meeting of 1884
in Canada there was widely expressed disapproval of the step, and doubt
as to its legitimacy; but the prospect of entertaining the upper
thousand of English science has evidently so greatly gratified our
Canadian brothers that even the most stiff-necked opponent of the
migration must be compelled to give in if he has a shred of good nature
and brotherly feeling left. There are doubtless a few grumblers who will
maintain that the Montreal assembly will not be a meeting of the
_British_ Association; but after all this Imperial Parliament of
Science could not be better occupied than in doing something to promote
science in one of the most important sections of the British dominions.
Indeed, since some maintain that so far as this country is concerned it
has almost ceased to have a _raison d'etre_, might it not extend
its functions and endeavour to exercise the same effective influence on
the promotion of science in other parts of the Empire as it has
undoubtedly done in the past in the Mother Country? It can scarcely hope
ever to hold a meeting either in Australia or India, nor even, we fear,
in South Africa; but there are other means Which it might adopt more
appropriately than any other body to encourage the progress of science
in these parts of the Empire, and make accessible to the public
interested in it the good work which is being done, at least in some of
the Australian colonies. In Canada itself there are several important
scientific societies; but so far as we know, they have no common bond of
union. Seeing that there is already an efficient American Association,
we should not advocate the formation of a separate Canadian body; but
possibly the Montreal meeting might be able to do something to
federalise the separate Canadian societies. We suggested some years ago
that the Association might do such a service to the numerous local
societies in this country, and we are glad to know that the suggestion
has borne fruit, and that already a real advance has been made in this