567 



find fault with the constitution of a Society which has earned for 

 itself so lofty a reputation ; including in the list of its members the 

 names of the most profound philosophers, and the greatest geniuses 

 of the age, and of whose works all who are engaged in the pursuit of 

 knowledge are justly proud ; but we cannot doubt that with us such 

 a constitution, so different from that of every other corporation in 

 this country, would have been very much less successful than that 

 which we actually possess. The charter of the Royal Society leaves 

 the management of its aifairs entirely in the hands of the Fellows, 

 without the interference of any higher power. No one, in virtue of 

 his belonging to it, receives any pension or derives any other advan- 

 tage from the Government, and our funds are supplied altogether by 

 ourselves. The sum of 1000, for some time past, has been annu- 

 ally voted by Parliament for the promotion of science. The Royal 

 Society have undertaken the task of" suggesting to the Treasury the 

 manner in which this may be most usefully and economically distri- 

 buted, the duty of accomplishing this object being devolved on a 

 committee specially appointed for that purpose. But from this Par- 

 liamentary grant the Royal Society derives no special advantage, it 

 being applied indifferently, for the purpose of supplying apparatus 

 or other means of carrying on scientific inquiries, whether these in- 

 quiries belong to their own Fellows or to other persons. Being thus 

 independent of the powers by which the State is governed, and 

 having no other object than that of observing the physical pheno- 

 mena of the universe, and tracing the laws by which they are regu- 

 lated, the Royal Society has always pursued its course free from 

 political excitement, and beyond the influence of anything in the 

 shape of party politics. The effect of this has been not to sever the 

 connexion which ought to exist between an institution of Royal foun- 

 dation and the State, but to cause that connexion to manifest itself 

 only by mutual exchange of good offices. The Royal Society has 

 been always ready to lend its assistance to the Government whenever 

 they required it, either in the way of giving their opinion on scientific 

 questions, or in that of carrying out any public work ; and I may 

 add, that thus they have been enabled, not in a few, but in numerous 

 instances, to render good service to the community ; while, on the 

 other hand, they are indebted to the Government, first, for the apart- 

 ments in Somerset House, formerly allotted to them by King George 



