vii WORK AT MANCHESTER 171 



In the year 1880 I was elected a member of the 

 Philosophical Club of the Royal Society, and in 1881 

 I was nominated as President of the Chemical Society. 

 This involved my attendance in London at the 

 meetings of the council, as well as of the society, 

 every fortnight for two years, and also my being 

 present at many gatherings of a social character in 

 London. 



The Chemical Society of London is an institution 

 which has exercised a most beneficial influence on 

 the progress of British science. My election as 

 Fellow dates from 1855, but I was not an original 

 member of the society. It was inaugurated a 

 generation before me, by men whose names are 

 watchwords in British chemistry. The society has 

 for its main object the encouragement of original 

 chemical research, and its influence on the extension 

 of such work has been most marked. It now numbers 

 nearly 3,000 Fellows, and its monthly Journal contains 

 not only a full statement of the original work of 

 British chemists, but also abstracts of that done in 

 other countries. At the meetings, papers are read 

 and their results discussed, whilst valuable annual 

 reports on the general progress of the various branches 

 of the science are published. Moreover, funds are 

 appropriated in aid of scientific research, and medals 

 are awarded for its successful prosecution. It was my 

 good fortune as President to present on the part of 

 the council the first Longstaff Medal to my friend 

 and distinguished pupil Dr. Thorpe, for his important 

 investigations published during the three previous 

 years. 



The society celebrated its Jubilee in February, 1891. 

 My friend William Russell was President, and 

 amongst other functions naturally came a dinner. 



