[ 241 3 



XXXMI. A Review of some leading Points in the Official 

 Character and Proceedings oj the late President of the Royal 

 Societi/. By A Correspondent. 



[Concluded from p. 174.] 



X WMA. now (juote again from the " History of the Instances of 

 Exclusion," its author is speaking of 



" The formation of every Council since Sir Joseph's presi- 

 dency, but particularly of the last Council. The Council of the 

 Royal Society is, at the same time, as is well known, its com- 

 mittee of papers, that part of the body who is to decide upon 

 the merit of discoveries, either foreign or domestic, and to hold 

 the equal balance between its own laborious and ingenious mem- 

 bers. The nomination of this body is in the Society at large, 

 who, however, in a very evil hour, have of late in fact left it to 

 their President, evidently under an implied though not expressed 

 covenant, that he would take care there should always be in it a 

 proper number of men of science in each branch qualified to do 

 the work for which they are deputed. * * * But what lists are 

 there put into the balloting-ltoxes this year? * * * Where are 

 the mechanics ? Where are the professed chemists ? Where 

 are the mathematicians ? Where are the practical astronomers ? 

 What ! not a single astronomer in the Council of the Roval So- 

 ciety of London, instituted for tiie promotion of natural know- 

 ledge, at a time when tiie heavens, almost shut up since the 

 creation, have been unfolded by Herschel to th'; curiosity of 

 mankind? Is it possible? and do we affect (for affect it we 

 must) to be seriously uneasy, because we suspect that some fo- 

 reigners may not have had answers in form to their letters of form, 

 while this is onr shame and this our disgrace ? * * * * What 

 then is to become of the paj)ers, and by whom are thev to be 

 tried ? Formerly there was some kind of established order in 

 the Society ; the learned man gave his papers to the Secretary, 

 the Secretary in due time produced them to a body of men that 

 was known, and each of whom was responsible for the sentence 

 he gave. The President now takes them, the President changes 

 the order of reading them (not in particular cases, as alone he is 

 permitted by exception in the statutes, but every Thursday); the 

 President niay if he pleases hand them about to a junto (he must 

 hand them about to somebody) for an opinion, who may be the 

 enemies or the rivals of the writer. Whoever sees not in this 

 as well as in the imperial ludi-magisterial knock with the ham- 

 mer, in the dictatorial rebuff; in the nomination of Dr. Dryan- 

 der to take the catalogue of the books when there was a Librarian 

 in the house, and in the attempt to dismiss the said clerk and 

 Vol. S6.. No. 270. Oc^ 1820. Hh hbrariau 



