THE TRUSTS OF THE SOCIETY 179 



while the payments should have been ,474, viz. : =150 in respect of fifteen 

 entrance fees, and 324; towards the annual contributions of 324 Fellows 

 elected since 1878 and still living. There was thus in 1910, for the first time, 

 a deficit amounting to Q 15*. 



In response to an appeal from the President, in his Anniversary Address, for 

 additions to the capital of the fund, one Fellow contributed ,21, and shortly 

 afterwards another Fellow, Prof. A. Schuster, made the munificent contribution 

 of ,1,000. Further deficits are in consequence put a stop to for the present. 

 The capital of the fund now consists of <9,533 London and North- Western 

 Railway 3 percent. Perpetual Debenture Stock, and =6,346 17*. Metropolitan 

 3 per cent. Stock. 



No. 9. THE GASSIOT TRUST. 



In the year 1871 the late Mr. John Peter Gassiot, F.R.S., conveyed to the 

 Society ,10,000 Italian Irrigation Bonds, for the purpose of assisting in 

 carrying on and continuing magnetical and meteorological observations with 

 self-recording instruments, and any other physical investigations that may 

 from time to time be practicable and desirable in the Kew Observatory, in the 

 Old Deer Park, Richmond, Surrey. The trust deed is given in full at p. 188. 



The proceeds were, until 1900, paid over to the Kew Committee appointed 

 in accordance with the trust deed. From time to time some of the Irrigation 

 Bonds are drawn, and some profits have been made on reinvestment. 



By the scheme of organization of the National Physical Laboratory (see 

 p. 289) adopted in October, 1899, the Kew Observatory was incorporated 

 therewith. The proceeds of the Trust Fund were paid over by the Gassiot 

 Committee to the National Physical Laboratory Account of the Royal Society, 

 the Kew Observatory Committee having been dissolved. The Gassiot Com- 

 mittee, which consisted of those members of the Executive Committee of the 

 National Physical Laboratory who were Fellows of the Royal Society, met 

 every year, but their proceedings were little more than formal. 



In 1910, after careful consideration, a new scheme for the management of 

 Kew Observatory was adopted by the President and Council, and was sub- 

 sequently approved by H.M. Treasury. Under this scheme the general 

 direction of Kew Observatory, and also of the Eskdalemuir and Valencia 

 Observatories, is entrusted to the Director of the Meteorological Office ; while 

 the Meteorological Committee, so far as is consistent with the terms of their 

 Parliamentary Grant, promote the maintenance of such magnetic, seismological, 

 or other meteorological or geophysical observations and researches at the three 

 Observatories as are from time to time recommended by the Gassiot Com- 

 mittee, in addition to the meteorological observations and researches initiated 

 by the Director of the Meteorological Office for the purposes of the Public 

 Meteorological Service. The Gassiot Committee was reconstituted as a 

 scientific committee on this basis. The proceeds of the Gassiot Trust Fund, 



N 2 



