NOTES 



Lord Rayleigh (1842-1919) (Sir R. T. Glazebrook, C.B., F.R.S.) 



John William Strutt, third Baron Rayleigh, was born on 

 November 12, 1842, and succeeded his father in the title in 

 1873. He took his B.A. degree at Cambridge in 1865, gradu- 

 ating as Senior Wrangler. The same year he was first Smith's 

 prizeman, and in 1 866 he became a Fellow of Trinity College. 

 This position he held until the time of his marriage~in 1871 to 

 Evelyn, daughter of Mr. James Maitland .Balfour of Wittinge- 

 hame, and sister of Mr. A. J. Balfour, the Foreign Secretary. 

 Two of their sons survive him — Robert, his successor in the 

 title, now Professor of Physics in the Imperial College, South 

 Kensington ; and Arthur, who through the War has served with 

 the Grand Fleet. 



He lived at Terling until 1879, when, on Maxwell's death, 

 he accepted the invitation to become Cavendish Professor of 

 Physics at Cambridge, a post which he held until 1884. This 

 same year he took part as President, at Montreal, in the first 

 Meeting of the British Association outside these islands. 



In 1887 he became Secretary of the Royal Society, an office 

 he retained until 1896, while he was Professor of Natural 

 Philosophy in the Royal Institution from 1887 to 1905. He 

 was President of the Royal Society from 1905 to 1908. In this 

 latter year he became Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 

 in succession to the late (eighth) Duke of Devonshire. He was 

 closely connected with the National Physical Laboratory from 

 the time of its foundation, first as Chairman of the Treasury 

 Committee appointed to report on the desirability of establishing 

 the Laboratory, then as Chairman of the Executive Committee, 

 an office which he held almost up to the time of his death. 



He acted as adviser to the Government on a number of 

 Scientific matters such as Electrical Units, Explosives, Aero- 

 nautics, Acoustical questions, and many others. 



In 1905 he became a Privy Councillor ; he was also one of 



the first members of the Order of Merit. 



286 



