1903.] Election of various Committees. 55 



of oscillatory waves, containing a masterly investigation of the motion 

 of steep deep-seawaves. Of his contributions to the theory of light, the 

 most important are the Memoir on the dynamical theory of diffraction 

 published in 1849, and the Memoir on the refrangibility of light com- 

 municated to the Royal Society in 1852. The first of these papers con- 

 tains the mathematical theory of the propagation of motion in a homo- 

 geneous elastic medium, followed by an elaborate experimental investi- 

 gation establishing that the plane of polarization is the plane perpendi- 

 cular to the direction of vibrations in plane-polarized light. The second 

 paper contains a description of his now famous discovery of fluorescence. 

 But although his contributions to hydro-dynamics, elasticity of solids 

 and fluids, wave-motion in elastic solids and fluids, and the theory of 

 optics are of enduring value, it would be a mistake to suppose that 

 his contributions to pure mathematics were less original or less import- 

 ant. As an illustration we may refer to the theorem, now known as 

 Stokes' theorem, which enables us to convert surface-integrals into line- 

 integrals ; it was first set as an examination question in a Smith's Prize- 

 paper and is of as wide an application as the theorem of Green. Re- 

 ference may also be made to his paper on definite integrals published in 

 1850; the theorems contained in this paper admit of extremely interest- 

 ing applications to the theory of the rainbow. 



The University of Cambridge undertook the publication of his col- 

 lected mathematical and physical papers many years ago ; the first 

 volume was published in 1880, the second in 1883, and the third in 1901. 

 These volumes bring us down to 1852. The Royal Society Catalogue shows 

 that up to 1883, Stokes had published 106 original papers. It is to bo 

 hoped that a complete collection of the remaining papers will be speedily 

 re-published. 



Stokes was an Honorary Member of the most famous scientific socie- 

 ties of Europe and America which felt honoured by associating his name 

 with themselves. He was elected an Honorary Member of this Society 

 in 1894. 



ASUTOSH MUKHOPADHTAYA. 



The Chairman announced that Mr. E. P. Stebbing had been ap- 

 pointed to officiate as the Natural History Secretary of the Society during 

 the absence of Captain L. Rogers, I. M.S. 



The General Secretary read the names of the following gentlemen 

 who had been appointed to serve on the various Committees for the pre- 

 sent year: — 



Finance and Visiting Committee. 



Dr. T. Bloch, Mr. E. A. Gait, Mr. H. H. Risley, Mahamahopadhyaya 



