468 Anniversary Meeting. [Dec. 1, 



nean Society, who was elected our Fellow in 1831, and, still more 

 recently, in fact only a few days ago, Sir John Francis Davis, who 

 was elected as long ago as 1822, and died at the very advanced age 

 of ninety-six. 



The number of Fellows elected before 1847 is now reduced to 

 twenty-three, so that in any statistical calculations of the effect of the 

 statutes of 1847 on the number of Fellows, the present condition of 

 the Society may be taken as practically normal. 



The Committee appointed in 1888 to consider the best mode of 

 administrating the fund, which was inaugurated in 1882, for founding 

 a memorial to our late eminent Fellow, Charles Darwin, have now 

 presented their report, which has been adopted by the Council. It 

 has been decided that the proceeds of the Darwin Fund be for the 

 present applied biennially in reward of work of acknowledged dis- 

 tinction (especially in biology) in the field in which Mr. Darwin him- 

 self laboured ; that the award consist of a medal in silver or bronze, 

 accompanied by a grant of 100 ; that it be made either to a British 

 subject or to a foreigner, and without distinction of sex ; and that the 

 award should be conferred at the same time as other medals at the 

 Anniversary. 



It was further intended, in accordance with Mr. Darwin's known 

 views, that, as a rule, the award should be made rather for the work 

 of younger men in the early part of their career than as a reward to 

 men whose scientific career is nearly finished. 



The Committee appointed at a meeting of the Council held imme- 

 diately before the last anniversary meeting of the Society, to set on 

 foot a memorial of our late Fellow James Prescott Joule, have natu- 

 rally not got quite so far in their work. They decided that the 

 memorial should take an international character, and should have for 

 its object the encouragement of research in physical science, and 

 should also have in view the erection of some personal memorial in 

 London. The subject was accordingly brought to the notice of a 

 number of scientific men abroad, from many of whom favourable 

 replies have been received. The Joule Committee have resolved, 

 " That the balance of the fund, after providing a suitable personal 

 memorial, be transferred to the President, Council, and Fellows of the 

 Royal Society, and that the President and Council be requested to 

 undertake the administration of the proceeds in such manner as may 

 appear to them most suitable for the encouragement of research, both 

 in England and abroad, especially among younger men, in those 

 branches of physical science more immediately connected with Joule's 

 work ;" and, also, " That the treasurer be instructed to retain for the 

 present a sum not exceeding 300 for the expenses of the medallion, 

 and hand over the balance to the President, Council, and Fellows of 

 the Royal Society." 



