548 
REPORT OF A COMMITTEE, ETC. 
[378 
all the memoirs which come within the plan of the proposed Catalogue. Such list 
should be in triplicate, one copy for reference, a second copy to be cut up and 
arranged for the Catalogue according to authors’ names, and another copy to be cut 
up and arranged for the Catalogue according to subjects. 
The Committee have endeavoured to form an estimate of the space which the 
Catalogue would occupy. The number of papers in a volume of transactions is in 
general small, but there are works, such as the Comptes Rendus, the Astronomische 
Nachrichten, the Philosophical Magazine, &c., containing a very great number of papers, 
the titles of which would consequently occupy a considerable space in the Catalogue. 
Upon the whole, the Committee consider that, excluding America, they may estimate 
the number of papers to be entered at 125,000; or since each paper would be 
entered twice, the number of entries would be 250,000. The number of entries that 
could conveniently be brought into a page 4to. (double columns) would be about 30, 
so that, according to the above estimate, the Catalogue would occupy ten quarto 
volumes of rather more than 800 pages each. 
It appears to the Committee that there should be paid Editors, who should be 
familiar with the several great branches respectively of the Sciences to which the 
Catalogue relates; but that the general scheme of arrangement and details of the 
Catalogue should be agreed upon between all the Editors, and that they should be 
jointly responsible for the execution. It would of course be necessary that the Editors 
should have the assistance of an adequate staff of clerks. 
The principal scientific transactions and works would be accessible in England at 
the Library of the British Museum, and the libraries of the Royal Society and other 
Philosophical Societies. It would be the duty of the Editors to ascertain all the 
different works which ought to be catalogued, and to procure information as to the 
contents of such of them as may not happen to be accessible. 
The Catalogue according to authors’ names would be the most readily executed, 
and this Catalogue, if it should be found convenient, might be first published. The 
time of bringing out the two Catalogues would of course depend upon the sufficiency 
of the assistance at the command of the Editors; but if the Catalogue be undertaken, 
it is desirable that the arrangement should be such, that the complete work might be 
brought out within a period not exceeding three years. 
A. Cayley. 
R. Grant. 
G. G. Stokes. 
13i/i June, 1856.