90 JOHN HILL 



An eminent French correspondent had taxed him, supposing 

 him to be a Fellow, with " one of the errors of the Society " ; 

 Hill in reply wrote, " I have already set right the error you 

 complain of; but you are to know, that I have the Honour not 

 to be a Member of the Royal Society of London." Before he 

 had sealed this letter he was called out of the room, and before 

 he had returned a visitor, a Fellow of the Society, was shewn 

 into Hill's study and read the letter containing the above-quoted 

 passage. Hence the friction. Hill denies that he ever became 

 a candidate for election, and states that although he attended 

 the meetings he would not become a member on account of the 

 Society's method of performing that which they were founded 

 to do. 



These statements are not lacking in definition ; with regard 

 to the incident of the letter it is impossible to judge of the 

 truth ; but with regard to the main features of the controversy 

 the present writer thinks it extremely probable that the account 

 first given is substantially correct, notwithstanding the statement 

 that Hill's explanation was never contradicted 1 . 



As regards the Review ', Hill wrote that "he pretends to 

 nothing but the knowing more than the Royal Society of London 

 appears by its publications to know ! and surely a Man may do 

 that and yet be very ignorant ! >; 



The intention of the Review was to point out to the 

 Society its shortcomings, doubtless in order that it might reform 

 itself. 



There can be no doubt whatever that a candid critic was 

 necessary, for some of the papers were absolute rubbish, so much 

 so indeed that a scientific training does not appear necessary to 

 detect their futility. To take a brief example; in one paper the 

 author describes a method to make trees grow very large ; the 

 seeds are to be sown at the absolute moment of the entry of the 

 sun into the vernal equinox, and then to transplant them at the 

 moment when the moon is full. 



Hill himself sometimes falls into error in his criticisms ; thus 



1 Short Account of the Life, Writings and Character of the late Sir John Hill, 

 M.D., Edinburgh 1779. 



