430 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



those members of the government and of the aris- 

 tocracy who are fellows, than upon the councils of 

 these societies. The latter, being chiefly composed 

 of untitled, and therefore uninfluential, men, would 

 naturally feel timidity in making representations 

 which they had not influence to support; whereas 

 the former, being chosen more for their political 

 influence than for their scientific attainments, were 

 certainly bound, in duty, to use that influence which 

 procured them their admission, for the benefit of 

 science and of its professors. 



(297.) We pass over the obvious expediency of 

 free discussion, and all those ordinary means for in- 

 suring the honest and faithful administration of the 

 pecuniary affairs of these societies. The chief point 

 at which the Royal Society should aim, is that of ren- 

 dering it an object of ambition among men of scien- 

 tific eminence, to be enrolled among its members. 

 All will admit that this is most desirable; the diffi- 

 culty lies only in the means by which it can be 

 accomplished. It appears, from the statement of 

 Professor Babbage, that some time ago, " many of 

 the more scientific members felt that some amend- 

 ment was absolutely necessary to the respectability 

 of the society ;" and a committee, in which we find 

 the names of Wollaston and Herschel, was accord- 

 ingly formed. " The council received their report 

 at the close of the session ; and in recording it on 

 the journals, they made an appeal to the council for 

 the ensuing year to bestow on it their earliest and 

 most serious attention" It appears, however, that 

 for some unassigned reason, this strong recommend- 

 ation was never attended to, and the matter was 



