December 2, 1897] 



NATURE 



113 



Early in the year, the attention of the Council was called to 

 the system of teaching natural science in schools, and a Con- 

 ference on the subject was arranged between the President and 

 Council and the Fellows appointed by the Society as members 

 of the governing bodies of the public schools. At this Con- 

 ference an interesting discussion on the subject took place, and 

 a general expression of opinion as to the desirability of attaching 

 increased importance to the teaching of science as a necessary 

 element of education was recorded ; but the Council has not at 

 present decided upon taking any further steps in the matter. 



About a year ago the President and Council were invited 

 by the Council of the British Association to co-operate in 

 approaching Her Majesty's Government with a view to the 

 establishment of a National Physical Laboratory. At the 

 suggestion of the President and Council, a Joint Committee 

 was formed to discuss the question, arid to take action in further- 

 ance of the desired object. This Committee waited upon Lord 

 Salisbury, and laid before him the arguments in favour of the 

 scheme. As a result a Committee has been appointed, with 

 Lord Rayleigh as Chairman, to consider the desirability of 

 establishing such a laboratory, and is now sitting. This Com- 

 mittee recently invited the Royal Society to appoint one or two 

 Fellows to give evidence before the Committee on the subject 

 under reference, and the President and Council have accord- 

 ingly invited Lord Kelvin and Prof. Oliver Lodge to undertake 

 this duty, which they have accepted. 



In May last the Council received a request from Sir Benjamin 

 Stone to nominate representatives upon the preliminary Com- 

 mittee for carrying out a scheme for a National Collection of 

 Photographic Records, and Prof. Lapworth and Prof. Meldola 

 were accordingly appointed to serve on the Committee. 



Occasion arose during the past year for the exercise of the 

 functions assigned in 1885 to a Committee designated the Indian 

 Observatories Committee, which, however, has been held to be 

 not a Committee of the Royal Society. The Astronomer Royal 

 having called the attention of the President and Council to the 

 anomalous position of this Committee, it was decided to appoint 

 a new Committee of the Royal Society, to be named the 

 Observatories Committee, to advise the Council on any questions 

 similar to those formerly referred to the Indian Observatories 

 Committee. 



Reports have been received from the Kew Observatory 

 Committee (published in the Proceedings), the Water Research 

 Committee, and the Meteorological Council. 



The Library continues to grow, especially in the section of 

 scientific serials, and, although two book-cases have been added 

 in the saloon, the question of shelf accommodation must soon 

 become a matter for serious consideration. During the past year 

 10 new serial publications have been added to the 440 which the 

 Society already received at regular intervals by exchange or 

 purchase. Of these 450 serial publications, about 



46 are issued in monthly parts 



14 ,, ,, weekly ,, 



10 ,, ,, fortnightly ,, 



10 ,, ,, quarterly ,, 



and the remainder at irregular intervals. 



Besides these, 53 complete books have been added to the 

 library by presentation or, purchase. Among these may be 

 specially mentioned the first volume of the collected papers of 

 the late Prof. J. Couch Adams, two further volumes of the 

 collected papers of Prof. Cayley, Sir Joseph Hooker'.*; "Journal 

 of Sir Joseph Banks,"' Capt. Lyons's " Report on the "islands 

 and Temples of Philae," the Proces-Verbaux of the " Conference 

 Internationale des ttoiles Fondamentales de 1896," and the 

 completion of Helnihollz s " Physiologische Optik." 



The Anniversary Dinner. 



In the evening the Fellows and their friends dined together 

 at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole. The dinner was 

 the most numerously attended of all that have been held in 

 connection with the anniversary meetings of the Society. After 

 the usual loyal toasts had been proposed by the President, Sir John 

 Evans proposed the toast of " Her Majesty's Ministers and 

 the Members of the Legislature," coupling with it the name of 

 the Duke of Devonshire, the Lord President of the Council. 

 In responding, the Duke of Devonshire is reported by the Times 

 to have spoken as follows : — 



NO. 1466, VOL. 57] 



As this is the first occasion on which I have had the honour 

 and pleasure of being present at one of these gatherings, I am 

 not acquainted with the subjects to which the speeches on this 

 occasion are expected to be addressed. But, before accepting 

 the invitation of your President to respond to this toast, I took 

 the precaution of entering into a little negotiation with him, in 

 which I succeeded in obtaining the concession that, whatever 

 happened, I should not be called upon or expected to make a 

 speech upon scientific subjects ; and I think the President will 

 bear me out in the statement which I make, that, therefore, I 

 may be dispensed from any attempt to follow Sir John Evans, 

 who has so kindly proposed this toast, into any scientific 

 analogies which he may have been able to discover between 

 the evolution of the human body and the government of the 

 country. In making this confession of incapacity to address 

 you upon scientific subjects, I feel that I am only acknowledg- 

 ing the existence in my own person of a defect which appears to 

 be almost inherent in those who have devoted themselves to the 

 pursuit of politics. I doubt very much whether since the time 

 of Bacon there has ever, with one exception which I will refer 

 to in a moment, been a Minister of the Crown who has been 

 capable of saying anything upon these subjects to an assembly 

 composed of the leading men of science of the day, such as 

 those whom I have the honour of addressing, in words which 

 would be worth their attention. The solitary exception which 

 I can call to my mind is in the person of the present Prime 

 Minister, who, if he had not devoted his powers so vigorously 

 to political and public affairs, would, without doubt, have been 

 an eminent man of science, and who, even now, amidst all his 

 numerous and important avocations, has been able to keep up a 

 not inconsiderable knowledge of the progress and discoveries 

 of many branches of scientific pursuits. Gentlemen, I believe 

 that the divorce which apparently has always existed l^tween 

 the pursuits of politics and science in our country has not been 

 so complete in the case of other nations. We are all of us 

 acquainted with the names of men in many foreign countries 

 who have been eminent in science, and at the same time have, 

 to say the least of it, been conspicuous in politics. Whether 

 that fusion of political and scientific pursuits has always been a 

 success, I do not think is a subject upon which I am called on to 

 enter at the present moment. But, at all events, with regard to 

 our own case, I think it appears to be certain that the calls 

 which the pursuit of politics makes upon the time and strength of 

 any man who desires to attain success in that career are 

 so severe as to leave but little residue for the equally increasing 

 calls upon the strength and time of those who aspire to dis- 

 tinguish themselves in scientific pursuits. But, while I do not 

 look forward to any immediate closer connection between the 

 pursuits of politics and science, I am not by any means sure that 

 in some time not very far distant some greater knowledge and 

 acquaintance with at least the results of scientific investigation 

 and inquiry and research may not come to be a necessary part of 

 the equipment of some portion at least even of our Government. 

 The recent discoveries of science and their practical results have 

 had so profound an influence on the social condition of all the 

 peoples of the world, uncivilised as well as civilised ; they have 

 had, and are having, so great an influence upon the industrial 

 progress, and therefore upon the growth or decline of nations, 

 that it is almost impossible that some knowledge at least of the 

 results, if not of the methods, of scientific discovery should 

 become almost as indispensable a part of the training of states- 

 men as the knowledge of the instincts, the passions, and the 

 interests of the people to which their studies have hitherto 

 been almost entirely, or at any rate mainly, directed. The 

 question whether with advantage the State can more 

 directly interest itself in the direction or assistance of 

 scientific inquiry is one which I have no doubt has 

 been frequently discussed amongst you and upon which, 

 probably, there would be considerable difference of opinion even 

 among those who are assembled here. That is a question which 

 I have no intention of entering upon, but there is a less ambitious 

 object — the object of making some of the main principles of 

 science and a knowledge of the results at least of the discoveries 

 of science more accessible to the main body of the people — 

 which has occupied our attention in recent years. It is also an 

 object which has occupied a greater share of the attention of 

 other nations, and one which, in my opinion, will require and 

 demand greater attention on our part in the future. I hope and 

 trust that at no distant time Her Majesty's Government may be 

 able to make proposals and submit measures to you bearing in 



