Proceedings of the Royal Society 39 



details being reserved for the Transactions. Mr. Grove 

 referred to his proposition, made Nov. 25th, 1847, and laid 

 stress on the importance of the Philosophical Transactions 

 containing the main papers in all branches of physical 

 science. 



At the meeting on March 23rd, the first number of the 

 new form of the Royal Society's Proceedings was exhibited, 

 and Mr. Homer stated that the Geological Society had 

 determined to print in their Quarterly Journal not only a 

 list of lately published books and papers on their subject of 

 study, but also an abstract of the contents. 1 



Sir R. I. Murchison suggested that the societies should 

 co-operate in applying to Government for the formation of 

 a Scientific Committee to accompany the British army to 

 the Black Sea. 2 



On April 24th (anniversary), Dr. Hooker was elected 

 Treasurer in place of Mr. Grove. Mr. Charles Darwin, the 

 Rev. Baden Powell, and Colonel Portlock were elected 

 members of the Club. 



The first of these, CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN, is such an historical 

 figure in the records of Natural Science that it is needless to give 

 more than a bare outline of his biography. Born at Shrewsbury 

 on Feb. i2th, 1809, educated at its noted school and Christ's College, 

 Cambridge, he accompanied Captain Fitz Roy from 1831 to 1836 

 as naturalist on the voyage of the Beagle to South America, publishing 

 the results, after his return, in the well-known Voyage. After his 

 marriage in 1839, permanent ill -health obliged him to live in retire- 

 ment at Down, where he worked out his idea of the Origin of Species, 

 the publication of which, in 1859, was accelerated by its having 

 independently occurred to A. R. Wallace. Of the controversy 

 excited by this book and one or two that followed, it is needless 

 to speak; enough to say that its author died on April igth, 1882, 

 and was buried in Westminster Abbey near the grave of Isaac 

 Newton. 



PROFESSOR BADEN POWELL, who also much agitated unscientific 

 people, was born at Stamford Hill on Aug. 22nd, 1796, won distinction 



1 This will be found (separately paged) under the title " Translations and 

 Notices of Geological Memoirs " in the volume (Xth) for 1854, and it was 

 continued as a section of the Journal till the volume for 1873. 



'The Crimean War began March 28th, 1854. 



