APPENDIX II. 255 



Our Society owed its origin in 1902, chiefly to a little band of 

 workers who met together to advance the great cause of Scientific 

 Knowledge. It was founded on February 4th, 1903 at a meeting 

 in the rooms of the now defunct Faraday Club, held at St. Ermin's 

 Hotel, Westminster. Amongst its founders were Mr. Sherard Cowper- 

 Coles, Mr. W. R. Coo^Dcr, Professor F. G. Donnan, Dr. F. M. Perkin, 

 Mr. Alexander Siemens, Mr. James Swinburne, and Mr. F. S. Spiers, 

 our present Secretary, to whom we owe a deep debt of gratitude for 

 his indefatigable work on behalf of our Society, and to whom there 

 should be accorded a crown of laurels. To each of these Founders I 

 have sent a special invitation asking them to be present this evening. 



Our first President was Sir Joseph Swan, F.R.S., later Lord Kelvin, 

 followed by Sir William Perkin, F.R.S., Sir Oliver Lodge, F.R.S., 

 Mr. J. Swinburne, F.R.S., and Sir R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S., whose 

 portraits are given in the accompanying plate. The objects of the 

 [ Society as originally defined were to promote the study of Electro- 

 ^ chemistry, Electrometallurgy, Physical Chemistry, Metallography, 

 and kindred subjects. 



I venture to think that we are accomplishing the objects for which 

 its founders set out, and that the Faraday Society will continue to 

 increase and flourish. It is, however, very desirable that we should 

 extend our Membership, and I trust a great effort will be made by 

 every present Member to bring in at least another new Member, 

 also that many of our Visitors to-night will join our Roll Call. 

 Stagnation in any Society means final decay. If we fulfil a useful 

 purpose, as we undoubtedly do, then the aim I have set forth of a 

 large increase in Membership ought to be possible. In one important 

 Technical Society in America, I learn they have this year increased 

 their Roll Call by no less than one thousand new Members. 



Our Society is honoured and recognised in the Councils of the 

 larger and parent Societies. It has a seat on the Conjoint 

 " Board of Scientific Societies and is consulted along with 

 other Societies on tlie special subjects with which we deal 

 and are acquainted. The fact that the Royal Society has this evening 

 granted us the privilege of holding our Symposium in its historic 

 building also shows, I venture to think, that our work meets with the 

 approval of this great parent body of Scientists. 



Nitrogen Products Com^nittee. — I will refer to one subject in which 

 we gave a helj^ing hand during the War — in fact it might be said that 

 the Faraday Society originated this special Research in this Country, 

 namely, that relating to Nitrogen Products, which mainly through our 

 suggestion was taken up by the Munitions Inventions Board . My friend, 

 Professor Huntington, of King's College, worked in season and out of 

 season to get the Government Department concerned interested. He 

 finally succeeded in persuading the Munitions Inventions Department 

 to appoint a Special Nitrogen Products Committee, who in their turn 

 were instrumental in establishing a Research Department. As Mr. 

 H. W. Dickinson, Secretary of the M.I.D., points out, so much spade 

 work was done by the Department with regard to this subject that 



