392 



NA TURE 



{Sept. 9, 1875 



us, both by statesmen and men of science, is to the same 

 efiect, and in favour of increased State aid. It has also 

 especially been urged upon us, that to afford, by direct 

 pecuniary aid, the means of livelihood to men of distinc- 

 tion in pure investigation would be a great advantage to 

 science, as competent investigators would thus be enabled 

 and encouraged to pursue a strictly scientific career." 



Lord Salisbury is of opinion that the cause of science is 

 hindered by the want of a sufficient career for scientific 

 men, giving the following statement of his reasons : — 



" I am induced to think so, by noticing how very much 

 more rapid the progress of research is where there is a 

 commercial value attached to the results of it, than in 

 other cases. The peculiar stimulus which has been given 

 to electrical research, in the particular direction of those 

 parts of it which concern the telegraph, is a very good 

 instance in point, and the extent to which researches into 

 organic chemistry have almost clustered themselves round 

 the production of coal tar colours is another instance in 

 point. And therefore it is difficult to avoid the conclusion 

 that research is really hindered by the necessity under 

 which those who are most competent to conduct it feel 

 themselves, of providing for their own support by means 

 of the talent and the knowledge which they possess." 



With regard to the scale on which such remuneration or 

 payments for maintenance should be made, Lord Salis- 

 bury observes : — 



" I should say, taking the parallel [that of certain offices 

 in the Church], to which I have already alluded, that an 

 income of about 1,000/. or 1,500/. a year would be the 

 kind of income which would suffice for the purpose that I 

 have in view." 



And he would also add provision for retirement. 



With reference to the safeguards against abuse which 

 would be necessary. Lord Salisbury continues : — 



"... It would, for their [the investigators'] own interest, 

 and to save them from invidious comments, be desirable 

 to impose upon them the necessity of publishing, either 

 in the form of books or in the form of lectures (but not 

 sufficient in number really to impede their work), an 

 account of the result of their labours during each succes- 

 sive year. Perhaps one or two stated lectures in the 

 course of a year, to be delivered to University students, 

 would be the best means of imposing upon them that test 

 of industry." 



Lord Derby takes the same view : — 



" I think that, in one way or another, where you have a 

 man of very great eminence as a scientific discoverer, it 

 is unquestionably the duty of the State to provide him 

 with means and leisure to carry on his work. Whether 

 that is to be done by giving him an office under the 

 British Museum, or in any similar institution, or whether 

 it is to be done by simply granting him a pension in 

 recognition of eminent scientific service, or in whatever 

 other way it is done, it seems to me to be immaterial, but 

 I certainly consider that it is a very important part of the 

 public duty, to relieve men who have shown an eminent 

 capacity for original discovery and research from the 

 necessity of engaging in a lower kind of work as a means 

 of livelihood." . . . 



Sir W. Thomson, in a reply to which we have already 

 referred, stated his opinion on this point as follows : — 



" That men should be enabled to live on scientific re- 

 search is a matter of most immediate consequence to the 

 honour and welfare of this country. At present a man 

 cannot live on scientific research. If he aspires to devote 

 himself to it he must cast about for a means of supporting 

 himself, and the only generally accepted possibility of 

 being able to support himself is by teaching, and to 

 secure even a very small income, barely sufficient to live 



upon, by teaching, involves the expenditure of almost his 

 whole time upon it in most situations, so that at present 

 it is really only in intervals of hard work in professions 

 that men not of independent means in this country can 

 apply themselves at all to scientific research." . . . 



Prof. Henry, the distinguished director of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution in the United States, who was good 

 enough to appear before the Commission when he was 

 in this country, gave the following emphatic evidence in 

 the same direction : — 



" My idea would be that if the funds were sufficient, 

 and men could be found capable of advancing science, 

 they should be consecrated to science, and be provided 

 with the means of living above all care for physical 

 wants, and supplied with all the implements necessary to 

 investigation." 



Prof. Balfour Stewart, after referring to the instances 

 of wealthy persons who undertake scientific research in 

 this country, points out that the number of those so cir- 

 cumstanced is very small in comparison with the number 

 of able men who are willing to give their time and capa- 

 cities to observations and research. He goes on to say 

 that able men, and men competent to conduct research, 

 suffer in this country from not having sufficient means at 

 their disposal to proceed as they would like to do. 



" Do you anticipate, then, that if there were any intel- 

 ligent centre for the distribution of a sufficient fund to 

 persons having the requisite capacities for observation 

 and research, but not having the means, the distribution 

 of such a fund would have any benumbing influence upon 

 original observation and research? — No, I should think 

 quite the contrary ; it would encourage it very much." 



Mr. Gore also advocates the enlargement of the present 

 system. 



" .... I should strongly advocate that the present 

 system should be enlarged, so that the investigators 

 should not merely be reimbursed for all that they have 

 expended, but also paid in some measure for their time 

 and labour, because each invesdgator has to give up a 

 profitable employment in order to find the time." 



He then gives his own personal experience, which 

 probably resembles that of many of those who, without 

 private fortune, engage in pure research. 



" I refuse a great many engagements in analyses and 

 other scientific matters for the manufacturers who come 

 to me. ... I gave up some pupils a short time ago to 

 enable me to have more time for original investigation." 



Dr. Joule, Dr. Siemens, Mr. De la Rue, and other 

 scientific authorities testify to the same effect, and urge 

 the adoption of some form of remuneration for valuable 

 work done, as a measure not merely just to the indi- 

 vidual, but serviceable to the State by the encouragement 

 it would afford to those able men of small means, who 

 abound in this country, to engage in original researches 

 of great importance to the community. 

 {To be continued.) 



THE IRISH FISHERIES 

 Report of the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries on the Sea and 

 Inlatid Fisheries of Ireland for 1 874. Presented to 

 both Houses of Parliament. (DubUn : Alex. Thorn, 

 1875.) 



DURING the last few years increased attention has 

 been paid to the vast stores of food, which this 

 country possesses, in the fish frequenting its inland 



