THE ROYAL SOCIETY AND THE STATE 



for the purpose of obtaining Government aid for the con- 

 tinuation through Egypt of the African Arc of Meridian, 

 and for the intervention of the Government to assist in 

 securing the fulfilment of the part undertaken by Great 

 Britain in the International Astrographic Catalogue and 

 Chart. 



Upon the present Fellows falls the glorious inheritance 

 of unbounded free labour ungrudgingly given during two 

 centuries and a half for the public service, as well as of the 

 strenuous prosecution at the same time of the primary 

 object of the Society, as set forth in the words of the 

 Charters : " The promotion of Natural Knowledge." The 

 successive generations of Fellows have unsparingly con- 

 tributed of their time to the introduction and promotion, 

 whenever the opportunity was afforded them, of scientific 

 knowledge and methods into the management of public 

 concerns by Departments of the Government . The financial 

 independence of the Royal Society, neither receiving nor 

 wishing to accept State aid for its own private purposes, 

 has enabled the Society to give advice and assistance 

 which, both with the Government and with Parliament, 

 have the weight and finality of a wholly disinterested 

 opinion. I may quote here the words of a recent letter 

 from H.M. Treasury : " Their Lordships have deemed 

 themselves in the past very fortunate in being able to rely, 

 in dealing with scientific questions, upon the aid of the 

 Royal Society, which commands not only the confidence 



of the scientific world, but also of Parliament." 



86 



