SCIENCE AND THOUGHTS 63 



agree, and he was obliged to communicate this 

 decision to the agent, who assures him, in reply, 

 that as soon as his name was mentioned the 

 universal feeling was that his election would at 

 that time have been certain, nor did he doubt that 

 his judgment would have secured the seat as 

 long as he desired to retain it. He expressed 

 the highest respect for Sir John Lubbock's 

 opinion, to which in this case all must needs 

 bow, but deeply regrets losing such an oppor- 

 tunity. If there should be the slightest hope 

 of a change, he begs Mr. Lubbock to let him 

 know. 



On November 3 of the following year was 

 started the " X Club " : the only name being 

 the mathematical symbol for an unknown 

 quantity, and the only rule to have none. The 

 members dined together once a month, and the 

 original members were : 



Mr. George Busk, 



Mr. Edward Frankland, 



Mr. Thomas Archer Hirst, 



Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, 



Professor Thomas Henry Huxley, 



Mr. Lubbock, 



Mr. Herbert Spencer, 



Mr. William Spottiswoode, and 



Professor John Tyndall. 



The original number was never added to ; 

 though guests were often invited. Of the nine, 

 5 received the Royal Medal of the Royal Society ; 

 3 the Copley ; 1 the Rumford ; 6 were Presi- 

 dents of the British Association ; 3 Presidents 

 of the Royal Society ; 5 Associates of the 

 Institute of France; and they also included a 



