$16 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



the advice of a Minister. In these circumstances he fears that 

 he is unable to accede to your wishes. I am to add that the 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer has no funds at his disposal for 

 grants in respect of eminent scientific services." Following upon 

 this Sir Ronald Ross wrote a second letter to the Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer asking for a reconsideration of the question, and 

 pointing out that there was no other constitutional means by 

 which he could obtain the compensation required ; but the 

 Chancellor replied that he remained unable to depart from the 

 decision previously conveyed to the petitioner. 1 In July, 1914, 

 a question was asked on the subject in the House of Commons 

 by Mr. W. H. Cowan ; and the Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 replied that he had seen the petition referred to, " but did not 

 feel justified in taking the course suggested, which is not in 

 accordance with modern usage." A few days later, Mr. Cowan 

 asked the Prime Minister " whether there is any existing fund 

 available out of which men of science may be compensated for 

 losses incurred by them in doing unremunerative scientific work 

 when such work has proved to be of advantage to His Majesty's 

 Government and subjects ; and whether, if no such fund is 

 available, he will consider the advisability of providing funds 

 for meeting such cases in the future ? " To this the Prime 

 Minister replied that he was not aware of any fund other than 

 the Civil List, and that he was not satisfied that further provision 

 is necessary. Mr. Cowan asked " whether it is not the case that 

 Civil List pensions are in the nature of charity and not a reward 

 for services." To this Mr. Asquith answered, " No, sir, I never 

 regarded them as in the nature of charity. They are a reward 

 for services rendered by deceased persons who have left their 

 families in necessitous circumstances." What else is this but 

 charity ? At the end of July, just before the outbreak of war, 

 the Annual Representative Meeting of the British Medical 

 Association resolved : "That in the opinion of the Representative 

 Body of the British Medical Association the petition of Sir 

 Ronald Ross, K.C.B., F.R.S., to the House of Commons for 

 remuneration for his services to the Empire, in having dis- 

 covered how malarial fever can be prevented, should be granted." 

 And this resolution was immediately forwarded to the Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer with an expression of opinion, which was 



1 Copies of the petition and correspondence can be had on prepayment of 

 postage from the Secretary, Science Progress. 



