564 



of public bodies, such as the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observa- 

 tory and the Trustees of the British Museum, which are invested 

 with a more official character. Can it be possible then that the 

 distrust of the recommendations of Scientific Societies as such, pro- 

 ceeds from some apprehension that in making them they are in- 

 fluenced by views of advantage to their own individual interests, 

 which are opposed to the interests of the community at large ? I 

 should be reluctant so to think ; but all will agree, that everything 

 that can by possibility exercise any injurious influence deserves to 

 be attentively considered and, if practicable, corrected. 



Those who entertain that opinion will perhaps be disposed to 

 receive with favour a scheme propounded for remedying the evil, 

 which meets with the approval of some on whose judgment reliance 

 may be placed ; I mean the proposal to revive the late Board of 

 Longitude under a new form, that is, to constitute a Board or 

 Committee, composed partly of men holding high official situations, 

 and partly of men of distinguished eminence in Science, to perform 

 for its whole domain the functions which the late Board fulfilled 

 for Navigation and Astronomy alone. 



My distinguished predecessor in this Chair, while admitting the 

 evils to which allusion has been made, has suggested a different 

 remedy, that is, an augmentation in the number of your Council, 

 and that the additional members shall be selected from such of our 

 Fellows as, to use his own words, " have high general education, and 

 are men of the world and of influence." It may well be doubted 

 whether any change in the internal constitution of this Society, and 

 least of all that change, will inspire the Government with greater 

 confidence in its recommendations ; in truth, the prestige of antiquity, 

 and the belief in the scientific qualifications of your Council, are pro- 

 bably the chief grounds on which such confidence as is now extended 

 to suggestions emanating from us is based ; that confidence, there- 

 fore, might be still further impaired by changes in our constitution, 

 and by admitting to our Council a larger proportion of men, who, 

 however eminent in other departments of knowledge, have never made 

 physical science their especial study or pursuit. However this may 

 be, it cannot be otherwise than beneficial that these suggested reme- 

 dies, which are now fairly before the scientific world, should be 

 thoroughly canvassed and discussed in conjunction with any other 



