The Social Science Congress met on Wednesday at Bir- mingham,
when Lord Carnarvon delivered an address that was almost a complete survey of the various topics of the Congress, —maritime law with regard to private property at sea in time of war, sanitary laws, overcrowding, the poor laws, criminal law, the treatment of criminals, capital punishment, education, the degree of compulsion desirable in education, technical education, trades' unions and their benefit funds, co-operative societies, rail- way management, international currency, meteorology, and the late President, Lord Brougham. The survey was terse to a fault, a real ground-plan of the field of view which the Association covers. It contained no verbiage, and really defined all the main issues ; but ground-plans are rarely interesting, though they may be useful, and we would rather have had a full discussion from Lord Carnarvon of one or two questions only.
