CHAPTER IX 

 THE COMMITTEES OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY 



FROM the beginning of its history the Royal Society has found it necessary 

 to carry on its scientific work by means of Committees of its members. To 

 each of these Committees some special branch of the work is entrusted and 

 they report the result of their deliberations and inquiries to the President and 

 Council, who consider their reports and where necessary decide on the course of 

 action to be followed. Reference was made in Chapter I of this volume to 

 some of the Committees that were organized in the early years of the Society's 

 existence (see in particular pp. 35, 36). It may be of interest to put on record 

 in this place some account of the various Committees which are now in opera- 

 tion, as an indication of the wide range of scientific investigation and official 

 duty which comes within the scope of the Society's activity and the manner in 

 which its organization is dealt with. 



Some of the Committees are entrusted with the supervision of matters which 

 are continually in progress from year to year ; others are appointed for tem- 

 porary purposes. There is thus a convenient subdivision of them into Standing 

 and Occasional Committees. But in all cases they are only appointed for one 

 year, being reappointed by each new Council, which decides whether to continue 

 or change the composition of their membership. In some cases a Committee, 

 at first appointed only for a temporary purpose, may by the continuance of 

 the inquiries with which it was entrusted, be prolonged for an indefinite 

 period. 



SECTIONAL COMMITTEES. 



These form an important group of the Standing Committees. They act as 

 referees and advisers to the President and Council in the several departments 

 of Natural Knowledge. To them are referred questions relating to the 

 acceptance or publication of papers in the ' Transactions ' or * Proceedings \ to 

 the selection of Croonian and Bakerian Lecturers, and to other matters in regard 

 to which their opinions are of authority. They consist entirely of Fellows of 

 the Society and are chosen with a view to secure, so far as is possible, a repre- 

 sentation of each branch of science, and to obtain the assistance of Fellows 

 who, from their connexion with other societies, or otherwise, are specially 

 qualified to advise the Council in respect to particular subjects. They are at 

 present six in number, and their titles and scope of subjects are as follows : 



1. Mathematics Committee for Mathematics, Mathematical Physics, Crystal- 



